


Out of the Sea

by SophiaFrederica



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - The Little Mermaid, Alternate Universe - The Little Mermaid Fusion, Angst, Background Relationships: JJ/Isabella and Mila/Sara, Drama, Historical, Human!Victor, M/M, Merman!Yuuri, Miscommunication, Otabek likes Yuri but Yuri is an idiot and doesn't realize it, Past Character Death, Romance, Royalty, Some Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-16
Updated: 2017-05-07
Packaged: 2018-10-06 03:45:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 46,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10324889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SophiaFrederica/pseuds/SophiaFrederica
Summary: “Someone needs to make sure that you don’t go lusting after him too hard and accidentally enchant him with your beautiful voice and get him drowned. The royal family of Russia has no heir at the moment, so it would definitely drive the country into a chaos, and then it would be no use trying to make an alliance with them.”“Phichit!”aka The Little Mermaid AU no one asked for. This one is based on the Disney version, because anyone who has read the original fairy tale knows it doesn't end happily.





	1. Chapter 1

The summer breeze has a salty flavour in it, it’s the taste of the sea. Viktor lets his fingers sink in the curly fur of his beloved dog. Makkachin was trimmed for the summer some time ago, so far he doesn’t look too hot. At least summer has mercy for his pet for never lasting too long – and mercy for the owner himself so that he can stop worrying about the dog’s wellbeing the moment the first leaves change colour from green to orange. Even though it’s still a long way to go, Makkachin seems to be comfortable while sitting next to him. Viktor can see from the wiggle of his tail that he is excited about tonight, too. 

“Are you absolutely sure you want to spend the night on the ship, Vitya?” Yakov asks for the twentieth time of the day, his tone grumpy. Viktor knows very well what his counsellor thinks of the sea: it’s a place full of terrors even the bravest of Russians should avoid. Yakov really has no sense of adventure as he has got too used to operating on the large area of their country. If it were in his hands, he would build railroads past the deepest of waters, which even in Viktor’s opinion is a silly dream as the railroad net hasn’t covered even half of their country yet. Yakov can be quite amusing with his obsessions.

“Yes, I am. We don’t get many chances to go for a little sail and it’s my celebration, so you’re obligated to do whatever I want.”

Yakov’s growl about Viktor always doing whatever he wants gets buried under one of the sailors’ loud laugh. “Well said, your majesty, you have an excellent taste! You can count on us, sir, the winds will be on our side tonight! If your majesty is lucky enough, you might even catch a glimpse of merfolk while in the open.”

“They get paid too much if they have time to tell ridiculous fairy tales like that!” Yakov complains, his old eyes squinting in an irritated manner as his gaze follows the sailor’s way to the ship being prepared. 

Viktor hums calmly, he doesn’t feel like annoying Yakov right now. But he is on the sailor’s side on this one, for he knows merfolk to exist outside fairy tales. Years ago, he heard one sing.

 

***

“What about this one? What do they use it for?”

Phichit squints as Yuuri hands him a mysterious silver object he found from a shipwreck he was exploring with Yuuko a few days ago. It’s quite light and lean but far more dangerous than it would appear. It made his finger bleed, the sharp tines cutting his soft skin.

“Hmm, it kinda annoys me to say I’m not sure,” Phichit murmurs, concentrating hard so as not to drop the object back to the sea while giving it to Yuuko to observe. His tan feet move calmly back and forth under the surface, Yuuri needs to control his urge grab his ankle and pull his friend in the water. Despite having seen feet so close many times already, they still create a spark of excitement and envy in his chest. No matter what Phichit claims, having feet is much better than having a tail. With feet one can even leave one’s natural environment and explore the sea for a while, tail, however, is good for nothing but swimming.

“I haven’t seen anything like this in my homeland and I haven’t been able to observe these people so closely that I would have seen them use this. Maybe they comb their hair with this? These teeth would work well with hair, don’t you think?”

Yuuri gives him an approving nod, he has learnt to trust the quality of his friend’s information about the human world. Being a human being himself, Phichit is a very reliable source of information on anything related to the people above the surface. He only struggles a bit when it comes to the people he is currently keeping an eye on, having been raised in quite a different culture and environment. Phichit is part of the royal family of the Kingdom of Thailand and currently on a mission to investigate the country they are considering making an alliance with, the Russian Empire. Like most of the members of his family, Phichit has also been granted with the gift of shape-shifting. His powers allow him to transform into a seagull by will and, according to him, it’s a very handy way to spy on people. Yuuri almost got a heart attack when they met for the first time, though: he was basking on a large rock, applying some lotion to his dark blue tail to make it slicker, when a seagull landed next to him and turned into a human before his very eyes. It took a while for Phichit to assure Yuuri that he didn’t want to kill him or put him in a large fish tank. After that, they slowly became best friends, sharing each other stories about their worlds, so ordinary for the narrator yet so intriguing for the listener. 

“It could be a comb”, Yuuko says, trying to brush her auburn hair with the silver object. She is one of Yuuri’s closest friends, too, the one he has known ever since he was a child. Even though she is a busy mother of three, Yuuko still finds enough time to hang out with Yuuri and visit the surface with him. It’s not exactly allowed in their kingdom, but they are careful, having shared their secret only with Yuuko’s husband, Takeshi, and their little children. Investigating the human world has become an obsession to them, like a drug they can’t live without anymore. The thrill of solving new puzzles about humans simply keeps their hearts beating.  
“I just don’t understand why they’d want to make their combs look like this. It’s not very efficient with so few teeth, either.”

“I might have mentioned this before,” Phichit says, “but seriously, white people can sometimes be pretty weird. Some time ago I heard a few people talk about _banya_ , which turned out to be a small house that people heat up to like 100 °C and – wait for it – go sit there, naked, and hit each other with branches. After finding that out, I’m not sure so sure anymore whether I want my country to make an alliance with these people or not.”

Yuuko bursts into laughter and clings harder to the rock Phichit is sitting on. Yuuri has hard time deciding how to feel about Phichit’s story, he simply cannot understand why anyone would want to engage in such activity. He feels warmth tickle his cheeks when he wonders whether that man spends time naked in a hot house, too.

Yuuri almost jumps when he hears Phichit call his name excitedly, afraid for a moment that his friend has gained some mindreading skills without telling him. “I almost forgot to mention, but I have some good news for you! Your handsome emperor Viktor is holding a little party tonight. They’re planning to hoist the sails at 10 pm and spend the night at the bay close to Vladivostok.”

Yuuri flushes hard, feeling his heartbeat quicken. Finally he’ll be able to see him again, even though it will probably be just a glimpse since Yuuri needs to put all his effort into going unnoticed by the emperor’s company. But he doesn’t mind – any sight of him, any sound of his low, beautiful voice will feed his insatiable heart and with that he might just survive until he gets his next share. He has been yearning pathetically for him ever since he saw him for the first time as a 12-year-old. On that certain sunny day in July, Yuuri had swam to the surface, that time not being explicitly forbidden, and, out of curiosity, had decided to discover the shore of the unknown land in the northwest. He had made his way close to a small deserted beach when he saw something that changed his life for good. On the coast was a human boy who was far more beautiful than anything he had ever encountered in the sea. The warm breeze was playing with his long silver ponytail, the sun making his hair shine brighter than his transparent fins. Yuuri wasn’t so close to him that he could have seen the colour of his eyes, but years later he would learn that his eyes were as turquoise as the sea itself, only increasing his beauty. 

It took Yuuri a while to understand he had fallen in love that day, but until his realization and beyond that, he wanted nothing more than see the boy again. However, it took a whole year before his wish came true. That time he learnt his name, Viktor, that’s what the silver-haired woman with him called him. But usually he was alone on the beach and even though he seemed to be enjoying himself, there was something lonely about him. A boy that beautiful should have had many friends, Yuuri couldn’t see any reason why anybody wouldn’t want to become close to him. He wanted to go to him, he still wants to, but knows he has to be satisfied with just admiring him for afar. After all, he is a merboy and couldn’t know how Viktor would react when meeting one. It is safer this way, Yuuri just has to bear with the fact that he can only see him for a few days each July before Viktor will head back to his hometown, leaving a distance of thousands of kilometres between them and making Yuuri’s heart ache more painfully every single time. After all, he can’t be sure if the man returns the next summer. And even if he did, he might have some unwanted company with him, a spouse and maybe even a child that shared his silver hair and ocean-coloured eyes. That day would break Yuuri’s heart so bad he could never put it back in one piece.

“Well you don’t look too happy for someone who has just been granted a chance to see the love of his life.”

Yuuri lifts his gaze and shakes his head quickly to erase the suspicion on Phichit’s face. “It’s not anything like that. The idea of seeing him again just makes me a bit nervous.”

The smile returns on Phichit’s lips. “So, I take it that you’re coming tonight?”

“Of course. A-are you coming there, too?”

“If you want me to,” Phichit says, but the mischievousness in his facial expression promises lots of more teasing in the future. “It might be for the best, actually. Someone needs to make sure that you don’t go lusting after him too hard and _accidentally_ enchant him with your beautiful voice and get him drowned. The royal family of Russia has no heir at the moment, so it would definitely drive the country into a chaos, and then it would be no use trying to make an alliance with them.”

“Phichit!”

“There you are, you stupid manatee! You’ve got some nerve to come up here!”

Yuuri freezes for a few seconds before turning around to face the owner of the voice. One of the youngest trainees of the royal guards, Yuri Plisetsky, is glaring angrily at him, which, on some different occasion, could actually look rather comical, as his blonde hair is hanging flatly against his cheeks. Even though the 15-year-old hasn’t been around in the guards for long, he seems to have grown a huge dislike towards Yuuri and the latter simply cannot understand why, because the two of them have rarely spoken to each other. At least his stoic partner and senior guard, Otabek Altin, has been nothing but civil towards Yuuri.

“What Yuri wanted to tell you, your highness,” Otabek interprets calmly, “is that the surface is a very dangerous area and he is concerned for your safety.”

“Exactly. So hurry up and say bye to your friends, manatee!”

“Stop calling him that!” Yuuko snaps, her eyes burning dangerously. “It’s very rude!”

“It’s alright, Yuu-chan…”

“No, it’s not, Yuuri!” she interrupts, now shooting a frustrated gaze at his direction. “You mustn’t let others walk all over you just because you don’t want to make a scene. Besides, Yuuri happens to be a prince. A royal guard should be aware of how to address the members of the royal family!”

“You guys aren’t being very formal with him, either!” Yuri remarks, his tone irritated. 

“We’re exceptions to the rule,” Phichit states smugly, leaning teasingly closer to the guards. “We happen to be friends with his royal highness.”

There is a pause that changes the atmosphere completely. Yuuko has covered her mouth with her hand as she tries to prevent herself from laughing as Phichit stares victoriously at the boy he has just served with such simple words. Even Otabek seems to find the situation quite amusing as his upper lip keeps twitching and his eyes keep gazing at the intensely clear sky above him. Yuri, however, couldn’t seem more furious. His cheeks have become slightly pink of humiliation, his lips part a little as if waiting for the right words to leave his tongue. When he manages to make a sound, his words are nothing but venomous, his eyes shot to the surface of the sea. “That’s not something to brag about.”

Despite the boy’s words being quite horrible, Yuuri cannot feel hurt. He’s right, after all, being friends with a pathetic prince like him isn’t really something to brag about. Still, Phichit’s face darkens and he raises his hand silently, still carrying a stiff smile on his lips. Yuuri is close to panicking when he sees a light breeze start whirling around his friend’s fingers, Phichit shouldn’t do anything he might regret later. But he has lost the connection to speech, desperately he tries to seek for Yuuko for help. She, too, refuses to meet his gaze, anger controlling her face too tightly, her body stiff as if preparing for an attack. 

_Please, don’t!_

“I think we all should get going,” Otabek says before Phichit or Yuuko does anything. “We have been on the surface for too long, it’s not safe here. The regent would be very sad if something were to happen to you, your highness.”

The breeze disappears in a second and Phichit nods, his eyes still cold. Yuuko nods as well, but hostility doesn’t disappear from her appearance, the look on her face shouting for the need for a proper apology. Yuuri, on the other hand, doesn’t think about the incident anymore, since Otabek’s words woke a horrible realization within him. All colour has disappeared from his face, suddenly his body weighs so much he could just sink back to the bottom of the sea. He forgot the meeting entirely, and there are only a few things in the world that Minako hates more than unpunctual people. She will definitely kill him.

 

***

“ _Two_ hours late and not a single message to warn me beforehand. You must know how disappointed I am in you right now, Yuuri.”

Yuuri doesn’t need to hear it, he can feel Minako’s dissatisfaction all around him. It ripples in the water, it can be seen in the way her coral tail rocks back and forth. It’s what has made her knuckles so white, tired of gripping the trident so firmly. Yuuri doesn’t say anything, Minako’s scolding has always had this impact on him. It slowly kills his ability to form reasonable words and makes him want to curl into a ball, hide from the rest of the world. It doesn’t help that this time they have listeners as well. Yuuri doesn’t dare to glance at Yuri and Otabek, he doesn’t want to see the looks on their faces. They’re both younger than him and still have to witness him being scolded like a 5-year-old. It’s humiliating. 

“So tell me, Yuuri? Why are you this late?” Minako asks sharply, shifting on the throne in front of him.

Yuuri inhales, carefully secluding his emotions before letting the words run wild. His tongue feels sticky but he still manages to make his message understandable. “I was spending time with the Nishigoris. I didn’t notice the pass of time.”

Yuuri manages to see how Yuri, floating some meters away to his right, opens his mouth, but Otabek shoves him slightly with his elbow. Minako seems to sense the tenseness of the atmosphere and turns her attention to the young guards. “Is that correct, guards Altin and Plisetsky? Did you find his royal highness with the Nishigori family?”

“That’s right, madam,” Otabek answers quickly, still managing to sound convincing. Minako frowns but decides not to say anything and turns her gaze back to Yuuri.

“It’s nice that you spend so much time with them,” she begins with a slightly softer tone. “But you need to start focusing on important things, like preparing to rule your kingdom. Nobody will count on their future king if he spends all his time playing around.”

“Great. Just what I wanted to hear,” Yuuri murmurs, now concentrating hard on staring at the sand floor of the throne room. The servants have done their job well again, combing the floor full of tiny wavy paths. Minako sighs and slides down from the throne.

“Can you give us a minute, please?”

Otabek nods and he and Yuri swim across the hall, disappearing into the dim corridor and staying in guard near the doorway to respect their privacy. Nevertheless, Yuuri is sure the pair will hear everything Minako has to say to him, and the thought makes him feel even sourer. He flinches when Minako lays her fingers on his shoulder. 

“Don’t be like that, Yuuri. You know I want nothing but your happiness.”

_It doesn’t feel like it._

Yuuri doesn’t say that out loud, how could he ever say such words? It would be the beginning of the war, it would destroy everything between them, break completely the bond that has only grown thinner during the past years. Yuuri knows none of them wants it to happen so he chains his true emotions and decides to suffer in silence.

“…I was never supposed to become a king.”

That’s also a risky thing to say, but it doesn’t start a quarrel, even though he knows those words hit Minako’s sore spot. Instead, she pets his messy hair, the gesture little stiff as if her body was working on autopilot. “I know. I wasn’t supposed to become a regent, either.”

“But unlike me, you’re good at what you do, Minako-san. Wouldn’t you continue ruling, I can give my crown to you...”

“Yuuri, I’m not supposed to do the ruling for you!” Minako snaps, now gripping his shoulders. “It’s your duty! There’s no one else left in the royal family, you’re the only one who can do it and the only one the merfolk of Sea of Japan can rely on! It’s what your parents and Mari would want, too. Please, Yuuri, you need to pull yourself together for their sake.”

If Yuuri hurt Minako before, it’s now her turn to hurt him back. However, Yuuri knows those words also rip the scars of Minako’s heart open. Even though it’s been 10 years already, the topic still haunts them in their sleep and manages to strike them at their worst, breaks them apart every time and smarts for a long time as they try to sew their parts back together. 10 years ago, Yuuri wasn’t the only one who lost people dear to him. The kingdom lost their royal couple and crown princess, but nobody, along Yuuri, grieved as much as Minako, the counsellor of the king and the queen. That day, Minako lost her dearest friends and the other one of her godchildren and has never fully got over it.

“You don’t need to claim the throne this minute, Yuuri,” Minako says more gently. “But you need to start preparing for it. You’re not a child anymore, you turn 24 this year and are old enough to rule our kingdom. But don’t be afraid of it, I will teach you everything you need to know, and of course you will pick your council to help you. Which leads us to another thing…” 

A wide grin spreads to her face as Minako wraps her arm around Yuuri’s shoulder, leaving him confused. “You’re also at the age to start thinking about marriage.”

Yuuri dashes away from Minako in a fraction of a second, furiously shaking his head at her. “M-marriage? But I don’t w-want to get married!”

To be honest, that’s a lie. There’s one person Yuuri wouldn’t mind marrying, in fact, there’s nothing that would make him happier than staying close to his emperor till the end of time. But that’s not something he can say to Minako, she would never understand. Viktor doesn’t have a tail, after all.

“Don’t be silly,” Minako chuckles. “Everybody wants to get married.”

“Yeah, but I’m not everybody! You know I don’t fall in love with others just like that!” At least he’s not lying about that. When Yuuri was younger, he had a tiny crush on Yuuko but he never took the thought as far as planning to marry her in the future. Then he saw that beautiful human being and after that, no one else had a chance to get into his heart. 

“Marriages aren’t always about love,” Minako says calmly. “That was also the case for your parents, their matrimony was arranged.”

“But I thought mum and dad loved each other…”

“Yes, they grew to love each other very much, I didn’t try to deny it. But their marriage was arranged nevertheless. See, not being able to fall in love quickly isn’t a problem. You can learn to love your partner eventually if there’s enough respect and support in the marriage. And think of the positive sides – you wouldn’t have any trouble with your spouse as you don’t have a preferred gender. There’re more options to pick of.”

“It doesn’t work like that, Minako-san…” Yuuri tries to mutter, but the regent is already thinking about his potential fiancé candidates out loud.

“Our Seung-gil is from a respected family and he’s about your age, maybe he could do? Or then there’s prince Guang Hong of Yellow Sea… oh, but he is already engaged to prince Leo of North Pacific Ocean, damn it! Yuuri, you should have tried to hit on him when you were studying in their kingdom, North Pacific is one of the most powerful marine kingdoms and an alliance with them would have increased our influence over our rivalling kingdoms! But oh well, we can’t do anything about that anymore. Is there anyone else… oh, I almost forgot! The son of the royal healers, Minami! I bet he would love to marry you, Yuuri! He simply adores you, every time I see him he always wants to talk about you!”

“I couldn’t marry Minami,” Yuuri laughs nervously, desperately trying to hide his horror. Thanks to Minako’s revelation, the next time they see each other, he will definitely be even more awkward around the boy. “He’s too young for me!”

“He turns 18 next year, he’s far from being too young for you!” Minako says. “Besides, I’ve had lovers who are twenty years to my age and our relationships have worked just fine.”

“Thank you for your concern, but really, I’m not planning to marry anyone at the moment,” Yuuri hurries, not wanting to hear about Minako’s past affairs. It is a mistake, for her eyes are again full of silent frustration. 

“Yuuri, no monarch is supposed to rule their kingdom alone. Every ruler has had their partner to rule with them. It’s a tradition every new ruler needs to follow, too. So start thinking about different options, for when you accept your throne, you need to have a fiancé by your side.”

Minako’s words have an odd echo as they continue ringing in his ears, her figure blurry in his eyes. Yuuri needs to give his all not to break in front of her, not to start sobbing and begging her to recant. For she would want a reason and Yuuri could never give her one. That’s why he decides not to make a scene again, that’s why he never gets stronger than this. That’s why he just mumbles his excuses and swims out of the throne room before she can tell him otherwise, holding back tears. He passes Yuri and Otabek as if they were air to him, it’s not even hard to pretend since his sight is getting worse every second. As the first teardrop lands on his cheek, starting to roll down and burning everything in its way, Yuuri knows he has faced faith worse than death. Once tied to the sea, he will never be able to lay eyes on his beloved ever again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally I got to post this! I was a little scared to do so, to be honest, because English is not my mother tongue and I'm really self-conscious about my word choices etc. But even though writing this took me a hella lot of time, it was really fun! So thanks to everyone who read this! Kudos and comments are appreciated. :)
> 
> Beta'd by lovely [Spigu](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Spigu/)!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Viktor stares blankly at a statue that shares all of his features. Or maybe that was a wrong way to put it; while it definitely looks like him, there’s something really off about the statue. Its facial expression is far more focused than its model’s, its pose craving respect. It’s even holding a sword, while Viktor hasn’t even touched his own in ages. And he is quite sure Yakov didn’t give any special instructions on portraying his body, but for some reason the statue’s pose highlights his behind quite a lot. Viktor catches a glimpse of Georgi patting Mila’s back while the latter seems to be choking on her wine._
> 
>  
> 
> _“Wow, Yakov. It’s quite… spectacular,” Viktor says, trying his best to sound excited._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops, this chapter got a bit longer than I planned, but I didn't want to cut it, so here it is! My beta came up with the idea that Viktor's statue should resemble the recently revealed figure (you know, the one with a really nice ass :D). Oh, and have you ever heard Yuuri's VA sing? If not yet, go check out his music on Spotify, cause he's literally amazing!
> 
> I'll try to post the next chapter asap, but it might take a while, since I should work on my bachelor's thesis. 
> 
> Anyway, have fun reading this chapter!

No matter how much the manatee was trying to conceal it, Yuri could clearly tell he was crying. He is not a person to eavesdrop for fun, but it wasn’t difficult to pick a few words from here and there and use his wits to connect the dots. The prince was crying about the responsibilities he had to face, things that couldn’t be news to him. Letting his mind repeat the same scene all over again doesn’t really help Yuri to keep on the calm mask he needs to put on for work and meeting the regent. Irritation is already gnawing at his face dangerously.

Before Yuri and Otabek, the regent, Minako, sighs loudly on her throne. “May I ask for your sincere opinion? Am I being too strict on Yuuri?”

_Too fucking soft, if you ask me._

Of course, Yuri can’t say that out loud. Instead, he translates his thoughts into acceptable words. “As you explained, madam, his highness must face his responsibilities. He needs someone to guide him to that direction.”

“And this only shows how deeply you care about his highness, my lady,” Otabek finishes for him. Yuri needs to press his lips together to not let a smug smile occupy his face, he is very lucky to have Otabek as his partner. He is much better at flattery than Yuri, being so neutral and sincere at the same time. Thanks to his assistance, Yuri will definitely move forward quickly in his career and receive a better position in the royal guards.

Minako gives them a tired look. “It’s so frustrating I can’t read him well anymore. Yuuri has become so distant; what should I do to restore our relationship?”

“If I can suggest something, madam,” Yuri begins, “maybe you could use a third party to help you and his highness get closer again? For example, the third party could persuade the crown prince to accept your views…”

“…and that would end our problems for good,” Minako finishes, her face glowing excitedly. “Guard Plisetsky, you’re a genius! Yuuri really needs new friends who could help him adapt to the customs of our kingdom, some young and diligent people like you… Plisetsky and Altin, I want you to be the ‘third party’!”

Yuri almost yells in displeasure, he didn’t see that coming. “My lady, I don’t think I would be a good friend candidate for his highness. I might not be his type.”

_Or the other way around, I don’t like people like the manatee._

The regent laughs softly, but Yuri can see from her look that she will not take no for an answer. “You’re too modest, guard Plisetsky. Haven’t you heard about opposites attracting each other? Besides, I wouldn’t want anyone else to carry out your master plan; I’m sure you will succeed perfectly. Off you go, you two, go get to know Yuuri better! And remember to inform me about your progress!”

Yuri and Otabek bow at the regent and swim out of the throne room. Just when they reach the hallway, Yuri breaks his mask with an angry hiss. “Why the fuck do I need to do this?”

“Yura, the regent might hear you…”

“I don’t give a damn, Beka!” Yuri snaps, now in Russian just in case, at least Otabek doesn’t mind using the language with him. “This is not what I signed up for when I decided to apply to military training! I thought I was supposed to become a competent soldier, not a fucking babysitter that needs to nurse some pathetic wimp who is almost ten years older than me!”

Otabek nods quietly. “Every newbie in the guards gets assignments they don’t like. However, if you do your tasks well, you will be rewarded. Succeed in the regent’s task and you’ll get promoted for sure.”

Yuri sighs, it annoys him a little to admit Otabek’s words make sense. His movements are a bit too aggressive when he sweeps his hand on his spear, shrinking it with his magic to be able to carry it better while swimming. “Fine, let’s go find the manatee and spend some time with him. But just that you know, I’m not planning to become friendly with him for real!”

 

 

***

_He was on the beach again, his human prince. That little word was enough to paint his cheeks red, make his heart flutter. Yuuri knew how wrong it was to even think of using such a word, for calling a boy who didn’t even know he existed his own. Still, he couldn’t stop thinking about that non-existent possibility of playing with the human’s silver hair while holding him in his arms, pressing soft kisses on his forehead._

_“So this is what you’ve been hiding, little brother.”_

_If Mari hadn’t pressed her hand against his mouth, Yuuri would have given away their hideout, one huge rock whose top rose a bit above the water. Trying to gain control of his breathing, Yuuri tapped his sister’s hand to make her let him go. His tone was still more startled than angry when he turned to face her._

_“Mari! I almost had a heart attack!”_

_“Serves you right for keeping quiet about this,” Mari said matter-of-factly. Sunrays had made the stones of her velvet hairband shine brighter than Yuuri had ever seen before, but he knew he couldn’t get away with this by just complimenting her looks. His sister had always been a difficult one for having nerves of steel against any kinds of persuasion. His only option was to beg._

_“P-please don’t tell mum and dad.”_

_Mari snorted and shook her head, now letting a smile on her face. “Don’t be stupid, you know I’m not a tattler. However, I expect you to keep quiet about certain things as well.”_

_Yuuri frowned as he saw his older sister open the little bag she had been carrying tied around her waist and pull out a golden_ kiseru _. Smoking pipes_ _had become quite popular in their kingdom when someone had come up with an idea to use their magic to mix bubbly water and seaweed together, creating a sweet and addicting solution. Not everyone was happy with this invention, however. Yuuri and Mari’s mother, for example, didn’t want her daughter to use it since she didn’t consider the habit to be suited for anyone in the royal family._

_“You promised Mum you would quit,” Yuuri reminded his sister as she poured a drop of the green liquid into her pipe. Mari raised her eyebrows threateningly._

_“I can take it all back and tell Mum about your secret, if that’s what you want.”_

_“Sorry.”_

_They stayed quiet for a while. Yuuri got quickly tired of watching little green bubbles fill the air in front of his sister and peeked cautiously behind the rock. A sigh of relief escaped his lips, his human prince was still there. He was now sitting on the beach, drawing figures on the sand with a stick. The sweet smell of the bubbles filled Yuuri’s nose as his sister leaned over his shoulder to see what he was looking at._

_“He’s not half bad-looking, though not my type,” Mari whispered. “What’s his name?”_

_“Viktor.” Even saying his name out loud made Yuuri’s heart thump faster, it carried a special meaning. “He’s the crown prince of a land called ‘Russia’.”_

_Mari hummed as though she could hear his thoughts. “Getting better, nice choice, kiddo… Do you know how old he is? At least he seems younger than me.”_

_“He turns 17 this year if I remember right.”_

_“A bit too old for you at this point. However, if you wait a few years, I might give you my blessings.”_

_Yuuri almost choked on nothing, he had a hard time keeping his voice down. “B-blessings? Mari, don’t tease me like that! I don’t even know him, I’ve never spoken to him!”_

_“Why?” Mari asked, tilting her head and tickling Yuuri’s neck with her long brown hair. “If you like him that much, go and try talking to him! I bet he’d be delighted to have some company.”_

_“It wouldn’t work even if I did. He speaks Russian, and even though I could use magic to translate his words while in water, he wouldn’t understand me in return since he’s a human.” Yuuri sighed._

_To be able to communicate with other merfolk around the world, every merperson was expected to learn to control soundwaves with their water magic. This way they could translate the words of the person they were talking with. Naturally the magic use needed constant improvement – low skills could easily lead to inaccurate translations and at worst cause serious misunderstandings. Yuuri was quite talented at controlling soundwaves, though, for he wanted to be able to understand his human prince as well as possible. He was also beginning to learn English, since their small kingdom was becoming more multilingual and international. Despite the wide reliance on magic as a communication tool, multilingualism was considered a trait of high-class education and was thus very desirable._

_“Ugh, ain’t this difficult…” Mari sighed, but a few seconds later she grabbed his shoulders in an unnaturally excited way. “Yuuri, why don’t you sing to him? Even if he couldn’t understand you, he’d definitely like the way you sound!”_

_Yuuri shook his head frantically. “I can’t do that!” he hissed. “I would give us away!”_

_“Don’t be a wuss. You can’t get closer to that boy if he doesn’t become aware of your existence. And if you still don’t want to show up, that’s fine by me. But he looks like he could do some cheering up, don’t you think? I’m sure your singing would improve his mood a bit.”_

_Mari was right, even when observed from the distance, the human prince didn’t look quite happy. Yuuri could feel something tighten inside his chest, it felt so wrong to not be able to go to him and ask the reason for his sadness. He sighed loudly, Mari’s smug smile was burning against his skin._

_“Okay, I’ll do it. Do you want to sing with me?”_

_“I’ll pass. You know I’m not a great singer.”_

_“Don’t say that! Everyone in our kingdom can sing. I think your voice is very beautiful, big sister.”_

_“If you really think that, Yuuri,” Mari said, pinching his cheek in a little irritated way, “you must have some seaweed stuck inside your ear canals. Compared to you, young maestro, most of us sound like seagulls. But you start singing right now, he isn’t staying there the whole day.”_

_Yuuri shot her an annoyed look, but leaned his back against the rock, ready to close his eyes. As darkness surrounded him, he let out the first, soft note. It burst into his dark emptiness as a shiny-blue fibre, continuing to split into new forms and slowly filling the whole space. It always felt like this, when he was singing; his world filled with colours. It made his body relax and mind leave behind the constant need to control his actions, it made him feel alive. Yuuri felt his heart drop the weight upon it as he sang about his love in his mother-tongue, hoping at least a tiny part of his feelings could reach his prince. Then, suddenly a croak intruded his world of music, making him open his eyes in panic and lose his connection to the song. Mari was giggling softly against her palm._

_“That wasn’t funny, Mari!” Yuuri yelled before he could stop himself. “Why did you do that?”_

_“I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist it,” his sister cracked up. “I didn’t think you’d actually stop singing because of that!”_

_“Great, now he must think I’m a toad or something! Watch it, I’m going to cut your hair for this!”_

_“Be my guest, I was planning to cut it anyway.”_

_Yuuri opened his mouth to come up with an effective threat for his sister, but his body froze when he heard someone’s yell from the beach. It was his human prince calling for them._

_“Did you catch what he said?” Mari whispered, the pitch of her voice revealing her slight shock._

_Yuuri felt his hands shake when he spun water in front of him, trying to chase the quieting threads of the prince’s voice. “I-I think he was asking if anyone was here…”_

_“Okay, now you can show yourself.”_

_“I don’t want to! Not like this! I don’t even know how he would react to meeting merfolk – what if he doesn’t like us?”_

_“Fine, then I’m going to find that out for you!”_

_For a second, Yuuri thought his sister would swim into the prince’s sight. Instead, Mari used her magic to shape water into a figure of a merboy and made it rise above the rock. Yuuri held his breath nervously, the quiet splashes of the waves had become more audible as silence continued. He was right, the human prince didn’t like merfolk, after all._

_Then, Yuuri heard another yell._

_“He… he wants to see us.”_

_“Good, go then.”_

_Yuuri shook his head, wrapping his fingers firmly around Mari’s wrist. “I-I just want to go home now. Please?”_

_Mari didn’t say anything but nodded and made the water figure blow a kiss towards the beach before turning back into waves. Yuuri dived below the surface, not wanting to wait for any possible, further reactions from his human prince. His heart felt ready to explode; water didn’t help to cool down the burning sensation on his cheeks. This was the most intimate moment he had spent with the human-being so far._

_“You’re really awkward when you fall in love, kiddo,” Mari said and patted his head softly. “But it’s kinda cute, you know.”_

_“Shut up…”_

_“Yes yes, little brother. Next time we go up, let’s bring an interpreter with us, so that you can have a chat with your crush. You know that some Russian-speaking merfolk have recently moved to our kingdom, I’m sure they would obey their crown princess if I asked them.”_

_Yuuri nodded coyly and entwined his fingers with his sister’s. ‘Next time’, those words carried a promise. He was already waiting eagerly for it to become reality._

 

 

***

The silver comb glimmers lightly in Yuuri’s hand, the hole in the roof of his cave is wide enough to let some light into his hideout. He lies on his back on the soft sand floor of the space, quietly observing his newest discovery. Usually, he would wonder where to put it to keep it safe. The cave is filled with hundreds of goods, all of them being dropped in the sea by humans. Yuuri loves them all equally, the books whose words have disappeared from being so long in the water, the accessories called shoes that humans wear to protect their feet. And of course, all the things he doesn’t know a name for, the majority of his collection. Usually, he would be happy to rearrange his collection, it’s a tradition he does every time he brings in a new discovery.

But this time Yuuri doesn’t feel like doing it. Though his eyes have no more tears to shed, his thoughts have not returned from the murkiest waters of his mind. At times like this, he will always return to the sad longing he will never get rid of.

It was something that was never supposed to happen, nor could his innocent mind have created a fear of such tragedy. Yuuri was thirteen when he lost his family, his loving parents and his older sister who was supposed to become the next ruler of Sea of Japan. It had been the worst kind of accident, his family were returning from a visit in Yellow Sea and taking a rest above the surface, when they saw a ship approaching them. The humans on the deck apparently thought them to be fish and tried to catch them, managing to hurt the royal family fatally with their harpoons. The guards who were travelling with them couldn’t bring help fast enough, and Yuuri’s parents and older sister died without being able to give him a proper goodbye.

After the tragedy, Minako, who was supposed to act as the regent until Yuuri claimed the throne, banned everyone from going above the surface. Yuuri obeyed her first, too, he was too shocked by what had happened to his family. The human world turned into a dangerous place after one single day, he didn’t want to face the same fate as his parents and Mari.

But the next summer he was feeling restless, as if something new was hurting in his chest. The longing had changed its form, reminded Yuuri of the one person he cared about so much. He found a little bit of solace from seeing Viktor, being able to admire him from afar made him feel alive again. He knew his human prince was different, so he wasn’t going to accept that everyone above the surface was bad. But he still couldn’t go to him, the two of them didn’t share the same language. And after the incident, he could never ask for a translator to come up with him. Still, Yuuri is grateful. Having his secret guarded by Yuuko and the Nishigori family, he is still able to see his prince. In his position, he wouldn’t dare to ask for more.

“What the fuck is all this stuff?”

Yuuri bounces quickly up from his spot, dropping the comb in the movement, and finds he has received some guests. Yuri and Otabek glance around his cave, the latter with calm curiosity and the former with pure disgust. Yuuri is too shocked to even question how the guards have found his hideout.

“You have a remarkable collection here, your highness,” Otabek comments while studying a little box full of different kinds of bolts and nuts.

“Where the fuck did you get all of this, manatee? Don’t tell me you actually stole them from the humans?” Yuri continues, before Yuuri can even thank Otabek for his words. Instead, he crosses his arms in an annoyed manner, now feeling more angry than scared for being found out.

“Of course I didn’t! They’re all from shipwrecks! Besides, what are you two doing here?”

Yuuri hasn’t seen anything so fake in his entire life than the smile the younger guard gives him as a reply. “Beka and I wanted to become closer friends with you, your highness.”

“Thank you, but I already have friends,” Yuuri replies coldly. He is sure Minako has something to do with this; Yuri Plisetsky would never say such things to him willingly. “I ask the two of you to leave now, please.”

“Not gonna happen, manatee,” Yuri hisses, it’s a miracle how quickly his true colours are shown. He swims closer to Yuuri and points at him aggressively, his body stiff as if he wanted to attack him. “I don’t wanna be here either, but someone needs to look after you and make sure you don’t do anything stupid like going to the surface again! You better be thankful for Beka for not blowing your cover up earlier!”

The surface, Viktor’s party – Yuuri forgot about it completely. He glances up, the sea above him has got darker, it must be late. His situation isn’t very good right now, two guards who are loyal to Minako are sharing the space with him. Still, he needs to try, leaving the place without saying anything wouldn’t work with these two. “Otabek, could you guard my secret for one last time? I have something to do above the surface.”

“What? Didn’t you listen to anything I just said!” Yuri yells, seemingly annoyed for being ignored like that. Yuuri holds his breath as he sees the older guard lay his hand on Yuri’s shoulder.

“On one condition, your highness. Yuri and I are allowed to come with you.”

Not wanting to waste any more time, Yuuri simply nods at the pair and hurries out of the cave. The bottom of the sea is filled with hundreds of shining lanterns to guide merfolk safely back to their homes, but Yuuri doesn’t have time to admire the sight tonight. What he is seeking waits him above, darkness and sky full of tiny balls of light. These aren’t the first thing he notices when he pulls his head above the surface, though. He is greeted with loud voices and beautiful, flower-like lights that keep exploding above the ship. Yuri lets out a horrified noise.

“They’re trying to blow the whole world up!” Yuuri hears the younger guard yell. “This was a bad idea, c’mon, let’s go back!”

Yuuri ignores him, he has spotted a familiar-looking seagull sitting on a narrow extension of the ship, peeking at the deck from a wide hole. Yuuri swims to the ship and pulls himself next to his friend, greeting him quietly.

 _“Fashionably late. I almost thought you weren’t coming after all,”_ Phichit tells him, his words sounding like cawing to possible eavesdroppers on the deck.

“Something came up,” Yuuri replies and gestures down to the surface where Yuri and Otabek are following his every move. Somehow Phichit’s bird form manages to make his signature face of displeasure.

_“Should have known, those two should mind their own business, royal guards or not. But hey, you haven’t really missed anything! Now just enjoy the show, this should be the closest you’ve been to your dreamy emperor. Want me to translate what they talk?”_

“Thank you, I’m fine. I have my magic, remember?” Yuuri whispers back at him, proudness making the corners of his lips twitch up. Phichit nods and watches how Yuuri spins the water gently with his tail. Suddenly, the unidentified sounds on the deck form into proper syllables and words, all understandable to him.

 

 

***

“Wonderful party, your majesty! Really glad you decided to hold the celebration offshore!”

Viktor smiles politely to one of the sailors and excuses himself to get some more wine. It feels a little awkward to hear people address him so formally, he has got too used to the informality of his closest circle in the court. Yakov wouldn’t want to allow it, being so fond of traditions, but he has also started to slip from the etiquette when angry with him, much to Viktor’s amusement. He finds his counsellor near the drinks with Mila and Georgi, who is sobbing quietly.

“What’s wrong with you, Georgi?” Viktor asks, though he feels like he already knows the answer.

“Just Anya,” Mila answers for him, her tone rather indifferent as she has been forced to hear countless stories about Georgi’s heartbreak before. “The fireworks reminded him of something he did with her and well, this just happened.”

“It wasn’t just something!” Georgi squeaks. “It was the most beautiful night of my life; Anya and I were watching fireworks in Saint Petersburg and she accepted my proposal! I couldn’t even imagine that it wouldn’t last forever…”

Viktor raises his eyebrow at Mila, silently accusing her of making the situation worse. The two of them share the same flaw: they aren’t good with crying people. Viktor offers Georgi a glass of wine for comfort. It’s a pathetic attempt, but he accepts it anyway.

“At least one of you has even been engaged,” Yakov mutters, patting Georgi on the back in a robotic manner. “You people won’t stay young forever, you should really start worrying about finding someone. I’m talking especially about you, Viktor. You’re the emperor, for heaven’s sake, what happens if you suddenly die? Who will keep Russia together if there is no heir?”

“I would be very happy if we didn’t discuss this topic today, Yakov,” Viktor says, smiling stiffly. “Besides, we’re not in a war or anything, so there’s no reason I should die young.”

Yakov has been complaining about the same theme a lot, lately. Deep down, Viktor actually understands his counsellor’s view, but he is not willing to admit it out loud. He knows his behaviour is risky in some perspective, but he doesn’t want to give in to traditions, not in this matter. In his position, marriage means an eternal partnership, and Viktor doesn’t want to spend rest of his life with a person he doesn’t love.

“Couldn’t you just marry princess Sara?” Yakov tries stubbornly, as if he didn’t even hear his words.

“Not going to happen, you know women aren’t my thing. Besides, her brother would start a war if I ever tried.”

“And I’ve heard that princess Sara isn’t really into people who wear pants anyway,” Mila remarks innocently, causing Georgi to cough on his drink and spill it on the deck. She turns her back quickly to Yakov’s scandalized glare; the old man mutters something about young people being the death of the century and wanders off to scold the sailors. They disappear below the deck, glancing nervously at their direction. After a while, they appear again, now dragging some huge object that is covered with a sheet. Viktor can’t help but chuckle, first Yakov was angry with him and now he wants to give him a present? How can his counsellor be real?

“Your majesty, if you please.”

Viktor takes his glass and goes to Yakov, followed by Mila and Georgi. The old man clears his throat loudly, attempting to gain everyone’s attention on first try. It works, the deck is silent, even Makkachin is keeping quiet at Viktor’s feet. Yakov’s face looks quite smug for a second before he opens his mouth.

“Your majesty, it’s been exactly five years since you were crowned to rule our precious homeland. I can now admit that I was a bit worried to let a carefree young man like you claim the throne, but you have proved me wrong. Even though you still have lots to learn, you have ruled us well: we have been able to continue living in peace and our people are becoming wealthier and more educated every year. I’d like to raise a toast to your majesty and wish you a long-lasting reign.”

“Yakov, how much did you drink to speak of me in such a positive light?” Viktor asks, causing everyone, including Yakov, burst into laughter. His counsellor asks someone to pull the sheet off the object to reveal it to Viktor – and that’s when his smile almost betrays him.

Viktor stares blankly at a statue that shares all of his features. Or maybe that was a wrong way to put it; while it definitely looks like him, there’s something really off about the statue. Its facial expression is far more focused than its model’s, its pose craving respect. It’s even holding a sword, while Viktor hasn’t even touched his own in ages. And he is quite sure Yakov didn’t give any special instructions on portraying his body, but for some reason the statue’s pose highlights his behind quite a lot. Viktor catches a glimpse of Georgi patting Mila’s back while the latter seems to be choking on her wine.

“Wow, Yakov. It’s quite… spectacular,” Viktor says, trying his best to sound excited. Mila lets out a sound that resembles that of a dying animal.

_I’ve never looked this ridiculous in my entire life._

Yakov nods approvingly. “Good. I’ve wanted to have a statue of you made for a long time, your father and his father before him also had ones. We need to find a good place for it when we return to the Winter Palace.”

_How about the toilet?_

Viktor can’t say that out loud, of course. Instead, he tries to search for an answer on the deck, maybe some object would help him come up with a reasonable association. He is fine with any place as long as he doesn’t need to see the statue often.

“Yes, how about… the sea.”

The horizon has suddenly become so dark, the serenity of the sky has swept away and been replaced by ominous colours. When the first lightning strikes, sailors rush to reef the sails. It will become a horrible storm, they yell, and the ship needs to return to its harbour immediately. Viktor presses Makkachin tighter against himself, trying to calm him down. This can’t be happening, there wasn’t supposed to be a storm tonight, there were no signs of it. Still, he tries not to panic, he needs to show a good example to his court, especially the sea-hating Yakov. The sailors they hired are the best of Vladivostok, there’s nothing to worry about. In the morning they will laugh at this together, right?

But the sea doesn’t want to let them go. It haunts their ship with its huge waves, growing taller after one another and trying to tip them over. It has made an alliance with the sky to block their escape route; a new lightning strikes the mast and sets the whole ship on fire. A second later, they crash against a rock that wasn’t even supposed to be in their way. Viktor falls in the water and is pulled to a boat before he can even think of getting wet. Everyone seems to be here, his court members and the sailors are all safe. Then, the horror strikes him. He can’t find his dog anywhere.

“Makkachin!” Viktor yells, desperately trying to catch a glimpse of him. He can’t have been drowned, Makkachin is a good swimmer. He must be somewhere near, he can’t have left him, Viktor won’t accept it. Despite the roaring wind, Viktor hears his dog’s whining. He is still on the deck and will burn with the ship if someone doesn’t save him. Viktor throws his coat away and steps closer to the board of the boat.

“Don’t you dare!” Yakov warns him, but Viktor jumps to the water before his counsellor can stop him. No matter what Yakov thinks, Viktor will never let Makkachin die. He still has many years before him, Viktor won’t let his life end on this stormy night. So he climbs back to the ship, his body full of adrenaline and without any connection to reason. The first bits of relief fill his heart when he gets to wrap his arms around his dog.

“It’s alright, Makkachin, it’s alright. Come on, let’s get out of here, okay?” Viktor says and lifts the trembling dog in his arms, he can’t even feel his weight right now. “Good boy, you’re doing so great. Just be brave for little longer.”

Suddenly, a board breaks under his foot, causing Viktor to lose his balance. He accidentally drops Makkachin over the board, but fortunately, Georgi and Mila pull him quickly to the boat. Now it would be his turn, but his foot is stuck between the boards, not moving an inch despite his efforts. His friends’ voices sound distant in his ears, his mind can’t tell different words apart. It’s so full of growing distress that he cannot concentrate on anything else. He just needs to get out of here, now!

The moment Viktor manages to pull his foot free, his world is filled with brightness, followed by a majestic bang that locks his ears for a few seconds. His body feels suddenly so light, he didn’t even know he was capable of flying. Apparently, his wings weren’t made to last long, as one heartbeat later he realizes he has hit the water, sinking quickly below the surface. Distantly, Viktor remembers that his lungs aren’t made to breathe underwater, but he feels too tired to do anything about the matter. Before he loses his consciousness, he feels somebody’s arms wrap around his body, holding him close. If death feels this sweet, he doesn’t mind giving in to it.

 

 

***

“Phichit, he doesn’t wake up! Is he dead? He can’t be, please, say it’s not true! It’s my fault, I should have swum faster! I’ll never forgive myself if… please, just don’t let it be true! I don’t want him to die!”

Yuuri’s heartbeat echoes loudly in his ears, it has a crackling tone, the prelude to his breakdown. His whole body is shivering in non-existent fever, too hot and cold at the same time. He squeezes Viktor’s hand harder in his own, he has no idea how hard, but he wouldn’t be surprised if he was completely crushing it. Pictures of his dead parents and sister flicker on his retina, every one of them filled with blood and despair. First salty drops start rolling down his cheek, what has he ever done to be cursed to lose everyone dear to him? He doesn’t want to face any more death; his heart is so fragile it almost can’t accept the fact everyone’s lives will end one day. He can’t take it, the Gods of the sea already took his family, taking his beloved is too much!

It takes Yuuri a while to register that Phichit has laid his hand on his shoulder. His figure seems a little blurry through his tears, but there’s something reassuring in his aura. “Yuuri, calm down. It’s fine, he’s still unconscious, but he’ll get better. He is not going to die.”

It breaks the wall inside his chest, Yuuri is unable to hold back anymore. He starts sobbing uncontrollably, clinging to Phichit for comfort. His heart could burst with happiness, the gods were merciful on him. Today, nothing precious was taken from him.

Phichit pats his hair gently and hums softly in his ear. “Shh, it’s fine. You did really well, Yuuri, you were so brave back there! I’m really proud of you.”

“If that human didn’t kick the bucket, let’s go back!” Yuuri hears Yuri complain. He detaches himself from Phichit’s hug and wipes his eyes before turning to the sea, Yuri and Otabek are leaning against some rocks on the bank.

Phichit rolls his eyes. “I’m going to shut that grumpy little romance-ruiner up for a while. Keep an eye on the emperor for a while, will you?”

“Wait!” Yuuri stutters. “Yuri is right, maybe I should go after all. I mean, what if he wakes up and sees me like this?”

Phichit presses his finger on his lips to block his word flow. “Yuuri, you’ve told me he would have wanted to see you when you two were younger. Trust me, he doesn’t mind that you’re a merman. No need to worry, I’m right there if you need me. Oh and one last thing – do you mind if I use some magic to keep little Yuri quiet? I’ve heard enough yelling for one day.”

Yuuri laughs quietly and shakes his head, turning his attention back to Viktor who lies on the same beach he has visited ever since he was a child. The early morning sun has made his silver hair shine, it looks softer than the best fabrics in his kingdom. Carefully, Yuuri caresses it with his fingers, his gesture cautious since he doesn’t know if he is allowed to touch the man in such an intimate way. But he can’t stop himself from moving his hand down to his cheek, feeling his heart throb more intensely against his chest. He has never been this close to his beloved, it almost feels too good to be true. Yuuri has always found Viktor beautiful, but in his vulnerable state like this he is simply gorgeous. Closing his eyes, he lets the first note of the melody escape his lips.

Yuuri has kept quiet about singing ever since he lost his family. Even though he still continued singing, he couldn’t ever do it in front of others again. It always felt so pointless, for those who he wanted to dedicate his songs to couldn’t hear him anymore. However, he just realized he still has one person he can sing to. His human emperor is gifted with his most beautiful songs, all of them filled with his love for him.

His song is finished too soon, a sense of warmth has stopped his movements. Viktor has grabbed his hand, eyes still closed, and murmurs something in his mother tongue, something Yuuri can’t understand without relying on the water. He is able to understand the concerned tone, though, and before Yuuri can stop himself, he has pressed his lips against the emperor’s hairline. That seems to calm the man down and a smile spreads on his face, making Yuuri flush. Viktor’s eyes are half open now and he says something again in Russian, to which Yuuri can only answer with a coy smile. He wants to stay like this forever.

Loud barking interrupts their moment, someone is coming to the beach. Giving Viktor an apologetic look, Yuuri pulls his hand away and throws himself into the water, joining Yuri and Otabek behind one large rock. The former’s lips are unnaturally pressed together, probably because of Phichit, but the guard still manages to glare murderously at him. Phichit, on the other hand, has turned into his seagull form and guards them on the top of the rock. Yuuri spins water with his hand when he sees an old man come to the beach with a weird, fluffy creature that dashes straight to Viktor. He remembers seeing them both on the deck last night.

“Viktor, you’re alive! We’ve been looking everywhere for you!” the man sighs; Yuuri can’t decide whether he sounds angry or relieved. Probably both.

Viktor groans quietly as the man pulls him to his feet, he seems a bit dizzy but at least he looks otherwise unharmed. The old man leans closer when he sees Viktor open his mouth.

“Yakov, I want to get married.”

The man, Yakov, stays quiet for almost thirty seconds. “…Well at least your near drowning experience had a good impact on you. Very well, we’ll start looking for potential suitors as soon as we return to St Petersburg.”

Viktor shakes his head. “That’s not what I meant. There was a beautiful boy who saved me. He sang to me, caressed my face and kissed my forehead. I want to marry him.”

Yuuri’s heart skips a beat. Yuri, on the other hand, lets out a muffled voice of disapproval.

Yakov groans loudly. “For god’s sake, Vitya, you’ve been dreaming the whole thing. Look at the sand, do you see any other footprints that ours? Where do you think he came from, the sea perhaps?”

“Could be, he was a very good swimmer.”

“ _Nobody_ is that good a swimmer that they could have survived in that storm. You’re very lucky that the waves carried you back to the beach. Come on, we need to have a doctor look at you. Everyone’s been worried sick about you the whole night and I can’t bear with Georgi whining about your loss anymore.”

Yakov ties his hands tighter around Viktor to support his walking better. Together with that weird, animal-like creature they slowly head back to the town. Yuuri touches his cheek carefully, his whole face is burning. Nervously he asks if his companions heard what Viktor said to him when he was on the beach with him.

“I was too busy with this fellow, so I didn’t catch it,” Phichit says, now back in his human form and in the middle of removing the spell on Yuri. “Besides, it’s hard for me to understand the language if I’m not close to the speaker. But judging from the little guard’s expression, he knows exactly what the emperor said to you.”

“No, I don’t!” Yuri claims angrily. “And I wouldn’t tell you even if I did!”

“First, that man asked your highness not to leave him,” Otabek says, his voice neutral without any colours. “And then he said that you are very beautiful and that he wants to be with you till the end of time.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Come say hi to me on [Tumblr](http://sophiafrederica.tumblr.com/), too! :>
> 
> Also, if you're into Johnlock, go check out my beta's amazing fic [here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10353564/chapters/22875774)!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “If I succeed and become a human,” Yuuri whispers, his voice shaking as if he hasn’t thought about the consequences before, “I’ll never be able to see the Nishigoris or Minako-san again…” And of course, not Yuri or Otabek either, but he doesn’t want to say it in front of them.
> 
> “Bingo!” the Sea Wizard cries enthusiastically. “Every dream coming true has its cons. But your highness is forgetting the pros: if you succeed and become a human, you’ll live happily ever after with your beloved. So tell me, my prince, will you accept my offer?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, the third chapter is finally here and it got even longer than the previous one, sorry about that :'D I'll try to update this next week; let's hope my bachelor's thesis won't kill me...
> 
> Oh, I forgot to say this last time, but thanks to everyone who left kudos and comments on this! You're really sweet and your support means the world to me! :)
> 
> Again, beta'd by lovely [Spigu](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Spigu/pseuds/Spigu)!

Yuuri spends the next few days in perfect euphoria. Tending to feel easily melancholic, he hasn’t even known it’s possible to feel so bright, so light-hearted. He even allows himself to hum a few chords in the presence of others, doesn’t feel it’s necessary to conceal his good mood. Yuuri has a reason to be happy, after all. His human emperor called him beautiful and seemed to like him.

So he focuses on his studies without complaining, greets the servants with more than just a distant nod and even chats a little with Minami, who reacts to it as if he has received an early birthday present. Minako seems to be pleased with him, she smiles at him more and praises his diligence eagerly. Luckily for Yuuri, she doesn’t try to find out the reason behind his improved mood. Even the pair of young guards has left him alone, though Yuri glances suspiciously at him every time they pass each other. Having been above the surface with him, the guard knows exactly why he behaves the way he does. But judging from Minako’s actions, Yuri has guarded his secret, although Yuuri has no idea why.

Letting out a quiet yawn, Yuuri lays down the stone tablet he has been reading and rises from his soft couch, brushing its flowery cover with his fingers. Knowing now a bit more about marine laws, he decides to dedicate the rest of the day to himself. His cheeks start feeling warmer as his mind wanders back to the moment he shared with his beloved. Yuuri realizes he has been very irrational to enjoy his happiness below the surface, all alone. If Viktor really likes him, he might return to the beach he met him, trying to see him again. Yuuri needs to see him, needs to tell him he hasn’t forgotten about the man. It doesn’t matter if they don’t speak the same language, he can always ask Phichit to interpret. This time nothing will stop him from seeing his beloved.

Yuuri may have got too hopeful too soon. The moment he tries to sneak out of his room, he bumps into Yuri.

“Where are you going?” the guard asks warily, observing Yuuri carefully as if he was already expecting to hear a lie.

“Nowhere in particular. Am I not even allowed to move around in the palace anymore?” Yuuri answers. He immediately regrets the rudeness of his words, but can’t help feeling annoyed because of meeting Yuri. Every time the boy seems to be the biggest blockade on his way to the surface, and right now Yuuri doesn’t want to deal with him. Viktor probably won’t stay in Vladivostok for long anymore and he needs to see him before being left heartbroken for a whole year.

“You were trying to sneak out to meet that human, weren’t you?” Yuri accuses him straight away.

“You’re wrong about that,” Yuuri lies, trying his hardest to conceal any signs of the false claim he just blurted out. “I’ve learnt my lesson, that storm was really dangerous and I also risked you, Otabek and Phichit’s safety when bringing you there with me. I’m just happy that nobody died that night, including those humans.”

To his surprise, his lie seems to work. The suspiciousness in Yuri’s face turns into smugness and his tone sounds less aggressive when he opens his mouth, “Damn right. You really learn from your mistakes, you aren’t as stupid as I thought, manatee.”

“Thank you for the compliment. Now, if you’ll excuse me…” Yuuri begins and tries to swim away, but the guard’s voice stops him again. Cautiously, Yuuri turns back to him, fearing that he made a false interpretation, after all. But it doesn’t seem to be the case, Yuri stares awkwardly at the sand floor of the hall and shuffles around before him. Finally, he blurts out the words Yuuri was expecting the least:

“Can you still dance?”

Yuuri frowns in a confused manner, he had no idea Yuuri knew about his old hobby. Dancing belongs to the same category as singing, after his family’s death, he hasn’t been able to do it before anyone else. When he was younger, he would sometimes entertain other merfolk in grand celebrations in the castle and even though he would stress so much about the performances, he liked it nevertheless. Other merpeople liked to see him dance, too, he was hailed to move as if he was creating music with his body. Had Yuuri’s family never died, he would probably have reached larger stages and gained fame in other marine kingdoms. Though that is no longer possible, he still practices, sometimes. Dancing is tied to bittersweet nostalgia.

“Yes. Why?”

“I was wondering if you could teach me.”

“ _You’re_ interested in dancing?” Yuuri asks stupidly, he can’t really imagine Yuri wanting to learn something like that. It doesn’t suit his tough guy image.

“No, I’m not!” Yuri claims quickly, now sounding more like his usual self. “It’s just… it could be useful for my job. To be able to move more smoothly. But if you don’t want to…”

“No, I didn’t mean it like that. It’s been a while, so I may be a bit rusty, but I’ll teach you everything I know.”

Never before has Yuuri seen the boy look like that. Slowly, his face brightens and if Yuuri didn’t know better, he would think there was an actual smile on his lips. “Can you teach me now?”

Yuuri ponders between the options; the timing isn’t very good for him, for he wanted to go up to see if Viktor was on the beach again. But on the other hand, it’s not too late yet, and if he declines now, the young guard may start doubting him again. If they finish early, he will still have time to go to the surface.

“Okay, but I want to visit the Nishigoris later, so we can’t have a long practice today. Is that okay?” Another lie, he really is slipping. But at least he is not hurting anyone.

It suits Yuri, and they agree to meet in a small hall where Yuuri usually practices in 10 minutes; Yuri says he needs to go get some of his stuff and swims away from sight. As Yuuri is about to leave for the practice, he sees Yuuko show up in the hall. He hasn’t met her since their last visit to the surface.

“Yuuri, good that I found you!” Yuuko cries out excitedly. “Come with me, I need to show you something!”

“I’d love to, Yuu-chan, but I promised to teach Yuri how to dance,” Yuuri apologizes and tries to excuse himself, but his friend grabs his arm tightly.

“It can wait, I can apologize to him for you and say that I dragged you out against your will,” Yuuko says, grinning. “Trust me, you don’t want to miss this! I bet you have never got such a surprise!”

Yuuri wobbles, not sure what to do. He must admit Yuuko has managed to awaken his curiosity, but he feels bad about breaking his promise, especially when he and Yuri have finally managed to act friendly around each other. But like usually, Yuuko manages to persuade him. She has that sort of power over him.

 

 

***

The bag feels heavier in his hands than it should. Yuri doesn’t understand why he is suddenly so nervous about this idea. He thought he should give the prince something as an act of gratitude, and his grandfather suggested Yuri could offer him some of the family’s famous seaweed rolls. They easily beat any delicacy Yuri has ever tasted, and since the prince is known for loving good food, he should like them as well.

“Guard Plisetsky!”

Yuri stops and turns to the direction of the sound, the regent greets him with a smile and swims to him.

“I wanted to talk to you. Do you have a minute?” Minako asks.

To be honest, Yuri doesn’t have one right now, he should be going to the practice and doesn’t like to show up late anywhere. But since he is dealing with the regent, he can only give her one answer.

“Surely, madam. What can I do for you?”

_And make it quick._

Her smile grows wider. “I wanted to thank you – and Altin, too, when I get to see him. Yuuri has been really happy lately.”

Okay, now he is going to be in deep water if he isn’t careful enough. “Otabek and I didn’t do much, my lady. We don’t deserve your praise.”

“Nonsense, you’ve been really helpful and I won’t forget what you’ve done,” Minako says. “But do you happen to know what affected his mood so dramatically? Could it be… love?”

Yuri almost chokes on nothing, how the hell did she come up with that suggestion so quickly?

“I knew it!” the regent says in a singsong, her brown eyes shining brightly. It took her only a second to drop her dignity and replace it with a trait Yuri associates with love-sick merfolk who are around _his_ age.

“Ah, I’m so happy for Yuuri!” Minako continues, looking as though she could start crying any minute. “You must know who the lucky one is, right? Tell me, so that I can help Yuuri out!”

“I-I’m not sure who that person might be…” Yuri tries, not able to look her in the eye. He has no idea how he fucked up like this, he has been careful not to speak about the night they spend above the surface to anyone in public. He has been making sure the event won’t happen again, he has been guarding the prince from the dangers of the human world, from the dangers of those irrational feelings that make one forget everything when submitting to them. Yuri knows the prince was lying to him earlier, but decided to conceal the fact and try to prove him how much better the sea was, try to make him forget about the human emperor. Careful and slow manipulation, that would have been his key. And yet, the regent saw right through his mask, ruining his plan.

Minako shakes her head, her expression sterner than before. “Guard Plisetsky, you promised to inform me about your process. This is also part of it. So, the name, if you please.”

Yuri knows he shouldn’t, but then he can’t be sure his persuasion will actually work. Having become a target of suspicion, he can’t go back. Yuri inhales, reminds himself this will be for the prince’s good.

“A few nights ago, his highness went to the surface, Otabek and I weren’t able to stop him. There was a storm and a human man almost got drowned, but his highness saved him. Despite all our efforts, the prince seems to have fallen in love with him.”

Minako pales and the atmosphere of the hall grows ominous, as if another storm was ready to break out. Yuri starts to feel like he didn’t do the right thing, after all.

“Take me to Yuuri.”

That’s all the regent says, her voice colder than the waters of the Arctic Ocean, her eyes full of fury. Yuri nods silently and leads her to the hall he was supposed to meet the prince, but for some reason, he isn’t there. That only makes Minako’s anger grow; she starts accusing Yuri of lying to her and hiding the crown prince from her. It takes Yuri a lot of willpower not to snap back at her, but in his increasing irritation he comes up with a place where Yuuri could have gone to. After the surface, the cave is the closest thing the prince can be to the human emperor.

 

 

***

“Are we there yet?”

“In a minute, please wait a little longer.”

Yuuri sighs, it feels like they’ve been swimming for ages. He has no idea about their whereabouts, Yuuko covered his eyes with her scarf the moment they left the palace behind. Usually, Yuuri would freak out for not being able to see his surroundings, it gives him an unpleasant feeling of losing the control of his environment. But Yuuko has guided him well, kept his thoughts busy with her chatting, her tone reassuring. He would trust her with his life.

The water gets suddenly darker, it feels like they have entered a cave or something like that. Yuuri brushes the sand with his tail, the place feels awfully familiar. Before he can voice his suspicions, Yuuko unties the scarf and tells him to look.

Yuuri lets out a quiet gasp as soon as he opens his eyes. In the middle of his grotto stands the greatest treasure he could ever think of, the statue of his beloved he saw on the ship a few nights ago. He swims cautiously closer to it, afraid that the statue might disappear and turn to be a product of the sweetest and cruellest dreams he has seen of his beautiful human emperor. Yuuri shivers as he lets his fingers brush the cold, grey skin of the portrait. He is not dreaming; his treasure is still here. Its features lack the softness of its model, yet it’s recognizable, yet it’s so beautiful.

“Well,” Yuuko whispers enthusiastically; he almost forgot about her presence completely. “Do you like it?”

Yuuri turns around to give his friend the sweetest smile he has to offer, his hands never leaving the shoulders of the statue. “More than that. Thank you, Yuu-chan, thank you so much!”

Yuuko giggles and shakes her head as if it was nothing. “Takeshi and I were exploring the shipwreck with the kids the other day, and our girls found it! I recognized the statue immediately and insisted on bringing it here! It was a bit heavy, it gave even Takeshi a hard time. You should have seen him, it’s been a while since he has worked so hard!”

“You made him do that?” Yuuri asks, a bit embarrassed. Takeshi is one of the strongest mermen he knows, so dragging the statue here must have been really hard.  “You shouldn’t have. It’s way too much, I don’t even deserve it.”

Yuuko shushes him and wraps her arms around his neck. “Nonsense. We worked hard, because we care so much about you and wanted to give you a reason to smile. You deserve everything in the world, Yuuri.”

Yuuri needs all his willpower not to burst into tears, he has received so much kindness today it makes his heart fill with warmth. “You’re really way too good to me. But thank you, this means so much to me. And please thank Takeshi and the kids for me, too.”

“I will,” Yuuko promises. When she releases him from her grip, a mischievous look takes over her usually so innocent-looking face. “Well then, Yuuri. Should I give you and him some privacy now?”

Yuuri flushes. “P-privacy?” he stutters. “Yuu-chan, what do you mean by that? He is a _statue_!”

Yuuko grins and swims behind the statue, taking a deep breath before lowering her voice, trying to mimic the emperor she has never heard speak. The whole show is slightly distracting as she lays her hands on the statue’s ass while talking. “’Oh, Yuuri, my beautiful prince. There’s nothing in the world I would desire more than steal you from the sea and make you mine.’”

“Stop it,” Yuuri laughs, desperately trying to breathe. The statue has become blurry in his eyes, the tears waiting for a chance to roll to his cheeks. “It doesn’t sound like him at all and I’m sure he would never say things like that! It sounds more like a monkfish than him!”

“’But this is my real voice, my dearest prince’,” Yuuko carries on, failing miserably at sounding hurt. “’Could it be that you’re implying that you don’t like the way I sound? Will you not offer me your affection anymore since you associate me with those ugly-looking sea creatures?”

“Please, Yuu-chan, just stop it!”

“What’s going on here?”

The laughter dies instantly, Yuuri’s whole body freezes due to the familiar voice. Shivering, he turns to its direction and gasps as he meets Minako’s eyes. She looks furious, her grip strong around the trident Yuuri’s father used to carry. It’s their equivalent of human monarchs’ sceptres, at least in Phichit’s opinion. Only then does he realize Minako hasn’t arrived alone. Yuri is floating next to her, not meeting his eyes. Yuuri feels something break inside his chest.

“Yuuri, what’s the meaning of this?” Minako asks in a way that makes Yuuri want to turn into sand this instant.

Yuuko rushes to his side, trying desperately to defend him, even though her face is scared. “It’s not his fault, my lady! I forced him to take it and store it here, he didn’t want to…”

“Quiet, Yuuko! I know more than well that Yuuri is the one to blame here!” Minako snaps, making her startle and killing her courage to talk. “But I’m very disappointed in you; if you knew what he was doing, you should have stopped him! Everyone in the kingdom knows it’s forbidden to go above the surface! You were very irresponsible, Yuuko, did you really care so little about your prince? Did you want him to be killed as well?”

“That’s enough, Minako-san!” Yuuri interrupts, gently pushing Yuuko out of the way. He doesn’t want her to face Minako’s anger, it’s something he has to do by himself. “It was my decision to go to the surface, Yuuko had nothing to do with it. Besides, it’s not that dangerous up there. Humans seem… nice. I’m sure we could form an alliance with them if…”

“’Seem nice’?” Minako cries, her eyes blazing. “Yuuri, do you understand what you’re saying? Those humans killed your parents!”

“Yes, but not the ones I’m talking about! Not everyone up there is a killer, just like not everyone down here is a good person!” Yuuri tells her, not concerned about the presence of two outsiders, nor about the fact his volume is slowly rising.

Minako looks like Yuuri has just punched her in the chest. “I never expected you to be this naïve, Yuuri. Just because you _imagine_ being in love with this…,” she begins coldly, sneering at Viktor’s statue as if it was something poisonous. “…this disgusting human being…”

“He is not disgusting!” Yuuri hears himself yell, his voice clear from any signs of fear. If he had some sort of a filter on before, it’s gone by now. “And I’m not imagining anything, I know what I feel for him! I’ve admired him for years and there’s nothing you can do to change it! Stop patronizing me, Minako-san, I’m not a child anymore! If Mother and Father and Mari were still alive, they… they’d surely be happy for me! At least Mari would; she saw him once, when I was younger. Now that you know, I want you to be happy for me as well, Minako-san. Please, at least try to understand.”

Yuuri’s voice softens towards the end of his burst, gets filled with chords of pleading, attempts to compromise. He tries to find signs of understanding from Minako’s face, they have always been able to make up even after difficult arguments, been able to find consensus. They have never wanted to hurt each other, for they have no one else to call family. Minako has always hugged him and ruffled Yuuri’s hair after finding mutual understanding, apologized for making him feel bad. However, this time Yuuri can’t find any of those signs. The woman opposite him is aloof and awfully quiet, almost like a stranger.

“You disgrace the memory of your family, Yuuri,” Minako says finally, her voice full of frost. “Your parents would turn in their graves if they heard you talking like that. I’ve been spoiling you for too long, this needs to stop now.”

Minako raises her trident and Yuuri’s eyes widen in horror when he realizes what she is about to do. A second later, she swings the weapon to her right and fills the space with bright rays of light and loud cracking noises as she begins to destroy everything related to the human world. His candlesticks break into pieces, his tableware turns to dust and the beautiful, nameless ornaments that don’t serve any deeper meaning than to please his eye get crushed under the remains of his other objects. Yuuri begs her to stop and tries to interpose to prevent her from demolishing his collection completely. Too late he realizes he made the biggest mistake in the situation. When Viktor’s statue is no longer guarded, Minako doesn’t need to watch out for him with her magic. The picture of his beloved gets crushed right before his eyes.

Yuuri falls to the sand, trembling, and tries to find any pieces of his beloved. There are a few, but too different from each other, so he could never put them back together. He blinks, hot water spilling to his face.

“I give you a few days to forget about that human, but you’re not going to see him ever again,” Yuuri hears Minako say from afar, her voice colourless. “And then you start preparing very hard for your future as the next ruler of Sea of Japan. Do you understand?”

Yuuri doesn’t respond in any way, but somehow he knows he doesn’t need to. The atmosphere lightens a little, marking Minako’s departure. Still, Yuuri can’t move an inch from his spot. The tears are flowing more rapidly, his voice muffled with his hands.

He twitches when he hears Yuri talk. He doesn’t sound as aggressive as usually. “You know, maybe the regent was right. I mean, he’s a human and you’re a merman; you live in completely different worlds. Maybe you’re better off without him.”

“Of course you’d say that,” Yuuri mutters, his anger rising once more from its final remains.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Don’t play clueless on me!” Yuuri snaps, turning his crying face to Yuri. “I should have known from the beginning, you really hate me, don’t you, and want nothing more than make me unhappy! I bet you had so much fun telling Minako about Viktor – you knew how much he means to me and you still betrayed me! I can’t believe that… for a moment, I thought you’d be different! I should never have trusted you!”

Yuri bites his lower lip, his hands are shaking almost unnoticeably. For a fraction of a second, it looks like he will start crying, but then shadows of hate take over his face. “That stupid human of yours should have fucking died!”

Having said that, Yuri turns his back on Yuuri and dashes out of the cave, not giving him a chance to respond to his words. Yuuko, who has stayed quiet for a long time, tries to wrap her arms around him, but Yuuri backs up before she can touch him.

“Please, Yuu-chan. I just want to be alone,” he murmurs, his throat feeling all sticky from crying. Yuuko leaves without saying anything, and the moment Yuuri is sure he is alone, he buries his face in his hands and lets it all out, loud and ugly. He curses his life, both as a prince and as a merman, for both equally chain him to responsibilities he doesn’t want to face. He knows his life will end now, he will never be able to see Viktor again and he has to marry someone he doesn’t love. It’s frustrating, so unfair, for there could have been another option for Yuuri, but he has no means to make it reality. He hates how weak he is, too pathetic to work on his own and too proud to ask someone for help. A sharp sense of pain slashes his chest in warning, desperately he tries to regain the control of his breathing. If only Mari or their mother were here, they would know what to do. Without them he isn’t even capable of taking care of himself.

Distantly, Yuuri feels someone brush his hair tenderly with their fingers and hush him with the sweetest of words: “Don’t cry, my dear prince. Everything will be okay, trust me.”

Yuuri twitches and raises his head, he had no idea Yuuko had returned to him despite his earlier command. But the woman in front of him is unknown to him, never in his life has he encountered her before. She looks quite different from other young mermaids, for her dark hair is cut short, chin length. Her tail is silver, matching her gentle blue-grey eyes.

“Who are you?” Yuuri whispers, his voice almost getting stuck to his throat. He tenses when the woman leans to wipe his face dry, but lets her do it anyway.

“My name is Isabella, your highness. I arrived in behalf of the Sea Wizard.”

“The Sea Wizard?” Yuuri repeats. “What does he want from me?”

Yuuri has heard tales of the Sea Wizard before, not a single one of them positive. The Sea Wizard has received the status of being the nightmare of every young merchild, but he is widely feared among the grown-ups, too. The legends have it the Sea Wizard drains the souls of those who succumb to him, feeding his powers with the most unfortunate wishes his victims have offered him. So many times has Minako sent the guards to search for him, but every time they return with no evidence of his existence. Still, every time a merperson goes inexplicably missing, they will accuse the Sea Wizard of it.

Isabella laughs softly and shakes her head. “It seems you have quite a wrong idea about the Sea Wizard, your highness. He is merely misunderstood; his great powers have made people fear him despite him wanting nothing but to help those in need.”

“What about the people who have gone missing?” Yuuri asks warily. He isn’t a child anymore, of course he knows he shouldn’t trust strangers this easily. No matter what Minako thinks of him, he isn’t stupid.

Almost a painful look takes over Isabella’s face. “You know, my prince, sometimes it’s better for people to leave it all behind and start over far away from those connected to one’s past – even if it would hurt someone. Sometimes one needs to be a bit selfish to become truly happy.”

Yuuri understands it better than anyone else, he would give anything for his happy ending, currently so out of his reach. The life out of the sea by Viktor’s side; his wish is too powerful, it destroys everything in its reach. And still, if it were possible, he would make it reality. For he is selfish and wants nothing more than his own happiness.

Isabella smiles understandingly at him as is she has read his mind. “The Sea Wizard hears the wishes of unfortunate souls and wants to offer you his help. Come with me, my prince, let him help you get your happy ending.”

Yuuri wipes away the last remaining tears from the corners of his eyes, he has made his decision. “Fine, take me to him.”

 

 

***

If Yuri continues tearing pieces of seaweed at this speed and force, nothing will grow around him ever again. Deep down he is aware of the fact, but he is too frustrated to care about anything else right now. His thoughts keep wandering back to the scene in the grotto, which doesn’t really ease the annoying tingling in his chest. Yuri snaps a stone beside him at random and throws it angrily as far as he can, accidentally hitting a crab who gives him a very disapproving look before shambling away. How dare the prince say such things to him, accusing Yuri of everything. Right now, he hates him more than anyone and yet it he feels awful thinking of him that way.

“So, the regent found out, after all?”

Yuri raises his gaze slowly, he has no idea how long Otabek has been observing his childish behaviour. “Yeah. How did you know?”

Otabek shrugs. “I saw her on my way here and even though we shared no words, it was easy to guess what had upset her that badly. Your actions just strengthened my theory.”

Yuri lets out a hollow laugh. “You should have seen the scene, it got so ugly. The manatee actually yelled at the regent, while she destroyed everything he had collected, including a really ugly statue of that human emperor he had just received from his friend. It kinda broke the manatee down, he even yelled at me. But really, it should be for the best, right? We did what she told us and now there’s no way for him to cling to the human world anymore.”

Quietly, Otabek sits down beside him, seemingly aware of how Yuri avoids meeting his eye. “You don’t need to lie about your feelings to me, Yura. You’re hurt by that, aren’t you? No matter what you say, you actually care about the prince.”

Yuri shakes his head reflexively, wrapping his arms around his tail and pressing his face against it. “I was about five when I saw him dance for the first and last time, grandpa and I had moved here like two weeks before the death of the royal family. It was so magical, the way he moved, I hadn’t seen anything like that before. I told grandpa I’d become a royal guard when I grew up so I could become friends with the prince and protect him. But then the accident happened and he changed, became something I didn’t imagine him to be. Somehow that really annoyed me.”

“That’s because he didn’t meet your expectations, it’s normal with people we admire,” Otabek says knowledgeably. “However, despite that, you still continued to like him, didn’t you? Even though he wasn’t exactly how you imagined or wanted him to be, you just couldn’t leave the idea of a friendship behind. Despite your conflicting feelings towards him, you still wanted to accept him.”

It feels embarrassing to hear someone else explain your thoughts out loud, but Yuri can’t argue with that. Otabek has always seen through him, understood him even when no words were shared. Biting his lower lip, Yuri leans against his shoulder, carefully, because he is not used to showing any signs of affection.

“What can I do, Beka?” he whispers, fearing his voice might break any minute. The manatee has a bad influence on him, he doesn’t want to become sentimental, too.

“ _We_ ,” Otabek corrects him politely, running his fingers lightly through his blonde hair, “for I’m your senior guard and your partner; it’s my duty to help you fix this. First, we need to apologize to his highness and assure we are on his side. Then, we find a way to make the regent accept his affection for the human emperor.”

“Yeah, but don’t you think there’s something weird about it?” Yuri asks, feeling the remains of his irritation try take control over his body again. “I mean, the manatee being so obsessed with the human world and loving a human being?”

“Different, maybe, but not weird,” Otabek answers. “I bet there have been weirder merfolk before him and will be after him, too. If his highness truly loves him, I don’t think I have any right to judge.”

“Should have known you’d say that,” Yuri chuckles, grinning at his friend. “You’re way too good to other people, Beka.”

Yuri would have expected to see a hint of smile on his face, but Otabek just stares seriously at him, leaning in to brush his long bangs away from his face. His eyes look darker than usual, his voice has got a weird tone Yuri has never heard before. “No, I’m not. Not even close, Yura…”

There’s something really odd about his friend today, something intense in his aura that Yuri doesn’t understand. Something in the way he touches his cheek, his fingers hot against his skin, the grip never letting go. Something in the way Otabek looks at him, waiting, as if he wanted Yuri’s approval to a certain thing. Confused, Yuri opens his mouth to ask him about it, but then he catches a glimpse of two figures moving in the distance. He pushes Otabek lightly away and gets up to identify the pair. He is sure about one thing: the other person is the prince.

“Where the hell are they going?” Yuri mutters to himself, before turning back to Otabek. “Do you know that person the manatee is with?”

“Can’t tell from this distance,” Otabek replies, now staring in the same direction. “But I’m sure that’s not Mrs Nishigori; her tail is claret.”

“It can’t be the regent, either, and as far as I know, the manatee doesn’t have other female friends. Something’s not right, besides, aren’t they heading _away_ from the centre of our kingdom? I don’t even know what’s there!”

“Let’s follow them,” Otabek says and they start heading after them, swimming fast so as not to lose the pair from sight. For a minute, Yuri wonders whether he should ask his partner about what happened earlier, but he forgets it as both anger and concern fill his mind. He will kill the prince if he does anything stupid.

 

 

***

Yuuri is sure he has never been in this part of the sea before. Sure, most of it is still unknown to him, being such a coward to leave too far from his home palace, but he still knows there are smaller communities here and there in his kingdom, some closer to the borders of Japan and some closer to Russia or Korea. But this part of the sea is silent with no other merfolk present. Yuuri can’t come up with a logical explanation to it, for the water isn’t too dark or muddy, nor does the environment seem repulsive. Maybe the merfolk simply haven’t realized this place exists.

“I hope the trip didn’t tire you too much, your highness,” Isabella says and gestures inside a small cave. “But we have finally reached our destination. Please, come in.”

Yuuri follows her inside the mouth of the cave, peeking curiously around him. Unlike in his grotto, the walls of the cave are clear of any additional accessories. However, with a better look he notices the place resembles a huge seashell, its walls changing colour almost unnoticeably, varying in every shade of a rainbow. The sand floor is brushed beautifully, too, it snakes in different direction, suggesting the cave is actually bigger than it initially seemed. Yuuri almost wants to take a look at its other halls as well, but Isabella drags him gently onward to a very open space, where he finally sees the infamous Sea Wizard.

He doesn’t really look the way Yuuri imagined him, in his mind the Sea Wizard has always been quite a shady figure, an old and wrinkly man who meets everyone with eyes colder than the waters near Antarctica. On the contrary, he looks surprisingly young, maybe around Yuuri’s age, and seems quite lively. He has a muscular and slightly tanned body, while he shares the same grey-blue eyes with Isabella. His hair, styled in an undercut, matches his black tail. He swims to Yuuri and shakes his hand firmly.

“Wonderful to finally meet you, your highness!” The Sea Wizard tells him eagerly. “Isabella, my love, must have told you something about me, right? I’m the Sea Wizard and I’m ready to make your wildest dreams come true!”

Yuuri shakes his hand behind his back, the Sea Wizard’s grip was a bit too strong. Definitely not what he had expected.

“Now then, let’s get down to business. Time is money, you see,” The Sea Wizard continues, before Yuuri can say anything. “Your wish is to be with that beautiful human emperor – though no one could ever surpass the beauty of my Isabella,” he remarks and blows a kiss at her, making her giggle and blush in delight. “And the solution is very simple! You just need to become a human!”

“C-could you really do it?” Yuuri asks, afraid he is hoping for too much. He can already see himself with Viktor, walking on the soil with actual legs of which he has been dreaming for so long, their fingers entwined, the aftertaste of a sweet kiss still on their lips.

The Sea Wizard gasps theatrically and swims to Isabella to wrap his arms around her as though seeking for comfort. “Did you hear that, my love, the prince actually doubts my abilities? I feel so hurt now!”

“There, there, sweetheart.”

“I’m sorry if I insulted you,” Yuuri hurries, he doesn’t want the Sea Wizard to change his mind about fulfilling his wish. “It’s just… I’ve never met anyone whose magic would be capable of that. But of course, if someone is able to fulfil wishes like that, it must be you.”

“Yes!” The Sea Wizard cries, not seeming upset anymore. “I’m the only one capable of that, for I am the one and only Sea Wizard! So, here’s the thing, my prince. If you want my help, I’ll use my spell on you, turning you into a human for three days. I’m sorry it’s not longer, such a grand wish takes a lot of energy. But never mind that, listen carefully, this point is important: before the sunset of the third day, your human emperor must have fallen in love with you and show it by kissing you on the lips. If you succeed, you can keep your legs and continue living as a human. But, if, for some reason, you don’t succeed, then you turn back into a merman and are obligated to give up your status of a prince and become a member of Isabella and I’s household.”

“Don’t agree on anything!”

Yuuri jumps a little at the sudden noise, Yuri and Otabek have appeared out of nowhere in the space, their breathing heavy as though they had swum very fast for a long time.

Trying to catch his breath, Yuri opens his mouth for another yell: “He is trying to trick you, manatee, don’t agree on anything!”

“Very impolite to enter our home without our permission,” Isabella says, looking suddenly very cold. She snaps her fingers and before the guards can do anything, dozens of creepers dash up under the sand, tying themselves tightly around them and covering their mouths.

“Thank you, honey,” The Sea Wizard says and turns back at Yuuri, smiling apologetically. “I’m very sorry about this, my prince, but my fiancée hates intruders and there’s nothing I would deny her. Besides, we don’t want anyone to disturb you while discussing our possible contract, do we?”

Yuuri glances briefly at the guards, the creepers don’t seem to be squeezing them too hard and they are both able to breathe. But he still feels hurt because of them, Yuri especially: he already ruined his chance for happiness and now that Yuuri actually has been given another shot, he is again here, trying to prevent it from happening. He moves his gaze back to the Sea Wizard, deciding to pretend the guards aren’t present.

“It’s fine, I understand. Now, where were we? I think we haven’t discussed the price yet.”

“Ooh, did you hear that, my love? The prince is very smart!” The Sea Wizard says, clapping his hands. “Of course, every wish comes with a price. But I’m a very humble person and don’t ask for much. All I want is your voice.”

“My voice?”

“Yes, my prince. You’re very famous for your singing and your lovely voice, though not a match for Isabella’s, could bring some joy to our every-day life.”

“B-but, how could I ever make Viktor fall in love with me if I didn’t even have my voice,” Yuuri questions, suddenly worried. He doesn’t consider himself particularly good-looking, not even close to Viktor’s level, and while he is naturally untalkative with people he doesn’t know well, being completely mute doesn’t really help the case.

“Well if it’s true love, no words are needed!” The Sea Wizard claims, swimming to his fiancée and embracing her even more lovingly than before. “When Isabella and I met for the first time, all she had to do was to give me a certain look and boy, was I immediately head over heels for her! That moment, I knew no one else would ever do!”

“Oh, darling!”

“And we can make an exception in your case, your highness – if we have a deal, I promise to return your voice if you succeed! I’m sure we can find out a way to enjoy your music a bit longer, while you can entertain your beloved with your songs. A win-win situation, am I right?”

“If I succeed and become a human,” Yuuri whispers, his voice shaking as if he hasn’t thought about the consequences before, “I’ll never be able to see the Nishigoris or Minako-san again…” And of course, not Yuri or Otabek either, but he doesn’t want to say it in front of them.

“Bingo!” the Sea Wizard cries enthusiastically. “Every dream coming true has its cons. But your highness is forgetting the pros: if you succeed and become a human, you’ll live happily ever after with your beloved. So tell me, my prince, will you accept my offer?”

Yuuri hears someone let out a muffled voice, desperately trying to stop him. He knows the opportunity has its downsides, but right now it’s the best and only one he has. Even if he fails, he still gets to spend time with Viktor and even if he turns back into a merman, he doesn’t need to go back to face the life he hates so much. The Sea Wizard can be a bit overbearing with his self-centred attitude, but Yuuri could learn to like him; the life with him and Isabella could never be as bad as the one with a person he doesn’t love. At least for three days, he wants to be with the one he truly cares about.

“I accept your offer.”

In his peripheral vision, he can see Yuri wriggling furiously in the grip of the creepers.

“Wonderful!” The Sea Wizard yells, his eyes sparkling. He swings his hand lazily in the air and a moment later, a stone tablet and a quill that looks as if it’s been made of tiny bones appear. Despite his doubts, Yuuri is able to sign the tablet with the quill, both of them disappearing in the next blink. Then The Sea Wizard opens a seashell amulet Isabella gave him and asks Yuuri to sing. Yuuri obeys, his eyes growing wider as he sees a ball of light, resembling his own voice, drift away from him and get locked up inside the necklace.

The Sea Wizard grins at him, his gaze darker than before. “Your payment has been accepted.”

A second later, Yuuri feels the strongest shot of pain he has ever undergone in his life. It grabs his tail with a burning grasp, pulling it so hard it feels like someone is trying to rip his whole body apart. He tries to scream, but can’t express the pain with any sound. He regrets opening his mouth soon after, for suddenly he is unable to breathe. His body has never felt heavier, his mind never dizzier, slowly forgetting everything about his location and the contract he just made. Distantly, he realizes he is going upwards, someone is supporting him, dragging him closer to the surface. Yuuri is close to losing consciousness, when someone pushes him up the last few centimetres and he can finally fill his lungs with air, warm and fresh.

The world above the surface has never looked this beautiful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! :> Come say hi to me on [Tumblr](http://sophiafrederica.tumblr.com/)!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’m not asking you to fall in love with him and stay with him for us, because one can’t be forced to love another. But can I ask you for one thing? The time you stay with us, please, try to give him joy. Try to help us make him happy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally our boys are going to spend some time together, so get ready, for cheesy romantic scenes are coming! This is probably my favorite chapter so far, so I hope you like it as well. :)
> 
> As you may have realized already, this fic should now be 7 chapters long, not 6 like I initially planned. I decided to add one more chapter, cause, well, otherwise the final chapter might have been way too long. *nervous laughter* Still, we're half way through, what the heck?
> 
> Enjoy reading! Once again, beta'd by lovely and talented [Spigu](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Spigu/pseuds/Spigu)!

Never before have water drops shone this brightly on Yuuri’s skin. Usually, they would reflect different shades of blue, the colour of his tail, but now they’re more like plain diamonds, beautiful in all their simplicity. Today, the drops reflect the colours of his light skin.

Yuuri lifts his right leg curiously, it’s almost impossible to accept he is not close to waking up in his own bed in the palace. When he was younger, he used to dream of exchanging his tail to a pair of beautiful legs and running around the soils of the human world, trying to find Viktor among dozens of faceless figures. His dreams would always end before he could find his beloved and cause melancholic feelings to hunt him for the rest of the day. But today is different, today he has actually received legs of his own and is sitting in the shoal near the tiny, deserted beach of Vladivostok. Today he is finally able to meet his beloved again.

“Hope you’re happy now,” someone cuts his thoughts off, his voice dripping poison. A part of Yuuri’s good mood fades away the moment he meets Yuri’s eyes, the guard is slightly panting from swimming but still manages to give him a perfect example of the lull before the storm. He and Otabek are sitting a few meters away from him, further from the beach as though they expected something dangerous to occur if they dared touch the ground with their hands.

“First running off and leaving everyone worried, then getting yourself almost killed for not taking into account the fact humans can’t breathe underwater. Very fucking smart, your highness.”

The look on Yuri’s face tells he has a long list of scolding to come, but he doesn’t get a chance to continue just yet. A seagull lands next to Yuuri, turning into Phichit with a few splashes of water.

“I did spot you from the sky, Yuuri. Where have you been, I haven’t seen you for days,” his friend starts to blabber but stops as his gaze travels down to Yuuri’s body and notices the lack of his tail. “Oh my god, legs? That’s amazing! Yuuri, you never told me you could do that with your magic!”

“He can’t!” Yuri states angrily. “But he made a fucking contract with the Sea Wizard, because he wanted to meet that stupid emperor so bad!”

Phichit frowns, looking more worried than Yuuri anticipated. “Uh-oh. Yuuri, what did you give to that Sea Wizard in return?”

“His voice,” Otabek says flatly. “And his highness has only three days to get a kiss from the Emperor. If he fails, his whole life will belong to the Sea Wizard forever.”

For a moment, no words are exchanged, which makes the atmosphere grow heavy with concern. Phichit tries very hard to keep up a calm face, but Yuuri can see him struggling. His best friend never stays quiet for a long time, unless the situation is extremely serious. Phichit seems to notice his anxiety growing as he opens his mouth quickly, voicing his opinion a little too lightly to sound natural:

“…Well, that was spontaneous of you, Yuuri. Must say your task is not very easy.”

“’Not very easy’,” Yuri repeats loudly. “Why don’t you just say that he fucked up real bad and got tricked? ‘Cause it’s true! Nobody falls in love in three days, nobody! And the Sea Wizard must know that, too! He must have known he won the moment you signed that fucking contract! I can’t believe it, how could you have been so stupid?! If you weren’t a prince, I would kill you right now with my own hands!”

Yuuri feels his body lose all its warmth, Yuri’s words have hit him hard in the chest, made breathing impossible. It makes sense, he really didn’t think this through. When he thinks back his own experiences, it has always taken him a while to even realize he likes someone more than platonically and as gorgeous as Viktor is, kissing him wasn’t the first thing he started dreaming about when he saw him for the first time. On one hand, the Sea Wizard claimed to be smitten with Isabella the moment he saw her, but on the other hand, Yuuri doesn’t have her looks nor her confidence. Without his voice, there is nothing in him that could allure a person like Viktor; Yuuri sees no possible explanation for the man to fall for a plain and awkward wallflower like him. His lips tremble in the silent prelude of panic, he was doomed to fail right from the beginning. He was so blue-eyed to believe the gods of the sea would support him in his task, of course they wouldn’t accept his love. They want to tie their followers to the sea and are willing to punish anyone who dares to defy their rules.

Someone grasps his wrist firmly but kindly, the gesture occurs so suddenly Yuuri stops shaking for a minute. Otabek has crept closer to him and stares seriously at him while speaking, comforting him. “…It’s possible to fall in love in three days, your highness.”

“Really, Beka? And what do _you_ know about it?” Yuri says sarcastically, his tone oddly cold considering the fact he is talking to his friend. Otabek shrugs and glances at the sea as if there was something really interesting about the tiny waves and the lack of ships. Phichit gives Yuuri a certain look, the one he makes when trying to prevent himself from bursting into laughter. Yuuri decides that if he ever gets his voice back, he will tell the older guard that he supports him with all his heart.

Phichit clears his throat, he has managed to keep his poker face quite well this time. “Otabek is right. It really _is_ possible to fall in love in three days. And since Viktor already thinks pretty fondly of Yuuri, our chances are even better. So no panicking yet, Yuuri. I’ll give my all to help you get the kiss and become lovey-dovey with Viktor.”

“And so will I, your highness,” Otabek says, bowing lightly at him.

Yuuri smiles at them both, bowing in return as he can’t come up with a better way to express his gratitude. Then, following the example of Phichit and Otabek, he turns to Yuri, waiting for his response though he is already quite sure what the guard will say.

Yuri stays quiet for a few seconds but groans loudly as a response, seemingly annoyed at having become the centre of attention.

“Fine, me too. But just that you know, manatee,” Yuri spits with a murderous glare. “I’m going to be mad at you for the rest of my life!”

But then Yuuri sees something change in his expression, something he doesn’t have words to describe. The anger in Yuri’s face has got new shades, the mixture of sadness and anxiety, accompanied by bits of silent stubbornness. Something in it breaks his heart a little.

Yuri exhales, glancing at the beach behind Yuuri’s shoulders. “But if you dare fail, if you dare become miserable for the rest of your fucking life… then you can be damn sure I’ll never forgive you.”

Warmth returns to Yuuri’s stomach, if he interpreted correctly, Yuri does really care for his happiness. For a second, he considers hugging the guard, apologizing being mean to him earlier in the process, but Yuri moves quickly closer to Otabek and shoots Yuuri a warning glance as if he had just read his mind.

Phichit snorts and gives Yuri an amused look, he doesn’t seem to hold a grudge on the boy anymore. “You know, I don’t see any difference between being mad at someone for the rest of his life and never forgiving someone.”

“That’s because you’re an idiot,” Yuri mutters, his cheeks noticeably pink. “So, what’s the plan? What are going to do next? By the way, you don’t happen to know a way to break the prince’s contract and get his voice back, do you?”

Phichit shakes his head apologetically. “My magic isn’t that powerful; I can’t change anything I haven’t done myself. So we need to go with Yuuri being mute, but if there’s enough sex appeal, it will work out. But first,” he muses, grinning mischievously at Yuuri, “you need to get some clothes, friend of mine. Even though these people are pretty fine with being exposed, it’s not appropriate to go walking around naked just anywhere.”

Crimson takes over Yuuri’s face and he readjusts his position to cover himself better. Again something he didn’t think through. Merfolk’s genitalia are hidden inside their tales most of the time, but of course, humans don’t work the same way.

Yuri yelps in horror when the realization strikes him. “And you fucker were actually trying to come to me for a hug?! Jesus fucking christ, now I can never sleep peacefully again!”

“Ain’t you bashful, pretty hilarious how a fearless guard like you is terrified of seeing someone else’s penis,” Phichit comments and snaps his fingers quickly, shutting Yuri’s mouth with the same spell he used on him the morning Yuuri sang to Viktor on the same beach. “No worries, Yuuri, if you wait a minute, I’ll fly to my hideout and bring some of my clothes to you. Otabek, Yuri, look after the prince while I’m gone.”

“We will. But may I ask what we are going to do about…” Otabek begins, but his words are interrupted by Yuri’s muffled yell and furious gesturing towards the beach.

Yuuri turns his gaze to the direction where Yuri is pointing and jumps a little at the sight. A brown, hairy creature is sprinting towards them at full speed. The creature lets out a loud noise, showing its sharp teeth while opening its mouth wider. Horrified, Yuuri tries to back up deeper to the water, without his magic he has no way to protect himself against that terrestrial beast. He catches a glimpse of Yuri and Otabek pulling their spears out, the former has just gained back the ability to speak.

“What the fuck is that monster?” Yuri yells at Phichit. “I knew coming up here was a fucking bad idea, it’s trying to kill our prince!”

“Calm down, everyone!” Phichit says. “If you shout at it, you will scare it!”

“Well that’s kinda the point, to drive it away!” Yuri hisses, pointing towards the beach with his spear.

“No, you don’t understand! It’s nothing dangerous, it’s a dog, a pet!”

“What the hell is a ‘pet’?”

“It’s, uh, a tame animal that belongs to a human,” Phichit explains, confused. “Don’t you have anything like that in your kingdom? You know, like a fish or something?”

Yuri gives him a scandalized look. “No. Fish are just as equal as we merfolk are, thank you very much!”

The creature, the dog, barks again and takes a curious step towards Yuuri. Then, they hear another sound nearby, a human voice. Yuuri has never seen Phichit turn into a seagull this fast.

_“Someone is coming, we gotta get out of here! I’m so sorry about this, Yuuri! Don’t worry, we’ll watch your back!”_

“Wait, we can’t just leave him!” Yuri begins, but Otabek grabs his wrist and pulls him below the surface with him, splashing some water on Yuuri on the way. Apparently, it was also an encouragement the dog needed; it dashes straight to Yuuri and begins to sniff him excitedly, rubbing his feet with its paws. Phichit was right, it doesn’t seem _that_ dangerous, but Yuuri has no idea what the animal wants from him or what he should do to prevent it from getting mad and biting his head off. As a merman, communication with seabirds or sea creatures such as fish would have been easy for him, but now he can’t find a shared language with the animal. He shivers when the dog licks his hand, it really wants to eat him, after all.

The human voice from before calls again and the dog barks back at it. Yuuri’s heart skips a beat when the human comes into his view, how did he not recognize the voice before? His human emperor, Viktor, is standing on the beach, staring confusedly at him. He is wearing light-blue trousers and a simple white shirt with an open collar that lets Yuuri catch a glimpse of his collarbones. In his right hand, he is carrying a dark blanket that seems to be decorated with pictures of flowers. The wind has been playing with his short hair, making it a bit messier than usually, but nevertheless he looks beautiful.

Viktor smiles at him and says something to him in Russian, causing Yuuri to pale in horror. Another thing he didn’t take into account, his contract didn’t include any part about making him a fluent speaker of Russian. He is too terrified to do anything and just stares blankly back at the man.

His human emperor frowns at his silence and thinks for a moment. “English?”

Yuuri almost wants to cry of relief, they do have a common language, after all. He nods eagerly at him.

“Good, I was afraid you wouldn’t understand me,” Viktor says, smiling wider. He has an accent that is more noticeable than Yuri’s, but it doesn’t make understanding him any more difficult. Yuuri wouldn’t mind listening to him for hours even if he was reading something as boring as law articles out loud.

“Are you alright, did my silly dog scare you? I’m very sorry about Makkachin, he gets a little too excited from time to time,” Viktor continues and takes a step closer to him, trying to call his dog back at the same time without any success. Suddenly, the man stops and tilts his head, eyeing Yuuri carefully. “You know, you look somehow familiar. May I ask your name?”

Yuuri opens his mouth excitedly, Viktor hasn’t forgotten him. But the harsh truth strikes him again, reminds him of the contract he made with the Sea Wizard. Feeling down, he touches his neck and shakes his head apologetically.

“What’s wrong? You can’t talk?” Viktor asks, sounding so worried Yuuri’s heart almost can’t take it.

He nods for an answer.

“I’m sorry,” Viktor says. “Is there anything I could do to help you? Take you to a doctor, perhaps?”

_Yes, kiss me and love me more than anyone else._

Deep inside his heart, Yuuri knows he can’t just go kissing him, it would be very rude and Viktor needs to fall for him first. Besides, he could never act so boldly, so he decides to shake his head.

“Right, no doctor then. Say, would you like to come with me nevertheless? I have a mansion in the town, it’s not that grand, but it would be nice to have you as a guest.”

Eagerly, Yuuri gives him another nod. This is his chance, the best one he has been given so far. His task isn’t becoming a disaster, after all.

Viktor beams at him and takes his hand to pull him up, but at the last minute Yuuri remembers he isn’t wearing anything and refuses to move an inch. It takes Viktor only a few seconds to understand the reason for his reaction, judging from the slight pink spots that have appeared on his cheeks.

“Oh. Did someone steal your clothes while you were in the water?”

Technically, Yuuri didn’t have any clothes to begin with, but since the Sea Wizard took his tail and thus made him exposed, it’s probably the best option to agree on. He tries his best to look concerned when nodding again.

For a heartbeat, Yuuri’s sight gets filled with colourful flower-patterns and the moment he opens his mouth in surprise, a soft fabric touches his shoulders. Viktor bends down to wrap the blanket around him, smiling gently at his reaction.

“I don’t have anything better with me, but will this do until we get to my place and find you some real clothes?”

Yuuri nods again and this time, lets Viktor pull him up. The movement is a bit too fast for his legs that are still confused about their own mechanism. He reels onwards against his chest, gasping silently due to the warm sensation on his face, feeling his heart prepare for take-off. Yuuri peeks shyly up at the man and is greeted with a look he doesn’t completely understand. Viktor studies him quietly, lips slightly parted, left hand supporting Yuuri’s back in case his legs betray him. For a moment, he looks like he is about to say something, but he shakes his head softly, smile put perfectly back up together.

“Can you walk?” he asks, taking Yuuri’s hand in his own. “Oh, I almost forgot to introduce myself. I’m Viktor Nikiforov, the current emperor of the Russian Empire.”

Yuuri simply smiles at him, squeezing his hand back gently. Of course he knows that, but he doesn’t mind Viktor telling him that or anything else he is already aware of. Being finally here with him is so magical he wants to enjoy every minute.

 

 

***

When Viktor said his mansion wasn’t that grand, Yuuri didn’t expect to face anything like this. Dumbstruck, he runs his eyes over the tall yellow building, stopping for a moment to admire its white pillars and large windows and the balcony where one could definitely see the sea. Even the garden, though a bit feral, basks in the glow of wealth. If this is not grand, Yuuri doesn’t even want to know what his actual palace looks like.

_I always thought our palace was beautiful but apparently, it’s not that great after all._

“Here we are,” Viktor says, his expression waiting as though he wanted Yuuri’s approval for his home. Some might interpret his actions quite arrogant, but he doesn’t seem that way to Yuuri. Maybe his human emperor’s common sense and views of normality are just a bit off and to be honest, Yuuri can’t really judge him. He was already a grownup when he visited someone else’s home in his kingdom, the Nishigoris’, and is still ashamed that he thought every merperson’s home would be decorated with pearls and golden sand.

“Do you like it?” Viktor asks, gesturing at the building.

Yuuri raises his eyebrows in a way that roughly equals the phrase ‘are you kidding me’ but decides to nod in addition, just in case to avoid misunderstandings. It was a wise choice, for he is rewarded with a smile that makes his heart do a triple-flip.

“I’m glad. Come, let’s go inside, so that I can introduce you to everyone.”

They pass a stern-looking guard, with whom Viktor exchanges a few words, and a moment later Yuuri is once again gasping silently. Even though they are indoors, it feels like they are still watching the sky above them, for so beautifully are clouds painted to the light-blue ceiling. A chandelier is placed right in the middle of it, playing the role of the sun that guides everything belonging to its solar system. Light shines to it just from the right angle and fills the air with dozens of glimmering spectrums; Yuuri needs to control his urges to try catching one with his fingers. He loves this place already.

Viktor shouts something in Russian, followed by a few barks by Makkachin, and a moment later, the hall is filled with new people. Yuuri remembers seeing all of them before on the deck, though he only has a name for an older man, Yakov, who glances suspiciously at him. The other two seem much younger, maybe close to his age. The woman, who keeps grinning shamelessly at him, is wearing a high-collared dress that matches her short red hair. The man on her left seems the most neutral of the trio, though Yuuri finds his dark haircut a bit funny.

“Everyone,” Viktor says, now in English, “we have a guest! His name is, uh, actually, I have no idea, since he appears to be mute.” The man turns back to Yuuri, his eyes asking for help. “Do you mind if we call you the ‘Beach Boy’? It’s kind of logical, since I found you on the beach.”

Yuuri shakes his head, of course he would prefer his real name, but without his voice, there’s no way for him to tell them that. Viktor beams at him and introduces the people to him; Yuuri learns the younger man is called Georgi and the woman Mila, who both are members of the court, while Yakov works as Viktor’s counsellor. Yuuri doesn’t understand why, but the older man doesn’t seem to like him for some reason.

“Why is he wearing a blanket?” Yakov asks quietly, not even bothering to switch to Russian. The question is directed to Viktor like Yuuri wasn’t even present.

“Well, someone stole his clothes and I had nothing else to give him at the moment.”

“So you decided to bring a naked, unknown man to your summer mansion. I appreciate your logic, Vitya.”

If Yuuri had a knife, he is sure he could cut the atmosphere right now, laying heavily upon them. Viktor’s smile has stiffened and his grip on Yuuri’s shoulder feels a bit tighter, though it’s still far away from hurting him. Yakov’s emotions are easier to read, though, it’s like someone had written the word ‘hostility’ on his face. It’s like a prologue to war where both sides wait for the other to open fire. To his surprise, it’s Mila who breaks the silence.

“Oh my god, we have all been so stupid! Hang on a second, I’ll be right back!”

Confused, Yuuri watches as she hurries to another room connected to the hall. She returns quickly, triumphantly holding a pen and paper. “Even if the Beach Boy can’t speak, he might be able to write, don’t you think?” she asks brightly and offers the stationery to Yuuri. “Can you write, Beach Boy?”

Yuuri smiles at her, of course, Mila was right about them being idiots. It doesn’t matter that he can’t use his voice right now, he just needs to write that he was the one who saved Viktor a few nights ago and his task should be close to ready. He feels warmth tickle his cheeks when he wonders if he has enough courage to tell Viktor about his feelings at this point.

But the moment he touches the paper with the pen, something invisible slashes his hand, sticks his skin with hundreds of blades. Yuuri’s mouth flies open in pain, the unexpected reaction causes his muscles to relax and the pen to drop on the floor. His heart takes a few warning beats, the shock painting his face white. That had to be magic, there’s no other explanation for it. But it shouldn’t be possible, Yuuri exchanged his voice for legs, not his ability to write. The hollow voice of anxiety, its whispers scratching his ears, suggests he has been tricked, after all. Yuuri bites his lip to conceal the poisonous thought from his mind.

“Are you alright?” Viktor asks, his voice soft with worry. Yuuri nods as a response, though he is quite sure everyone can see through him.

“No writing, then,” Mila sighs. “But I’m not going to give up this easily, there must be something we can learn of our guest.” She takes Yuuri’s hand in her own, giving him an encouraging smile. “Please, follow me.”

Mila guides Yuuri to the same room she took the stationery from. The room seems to be a small library or study of sorts, the walls are covered with books, surrounding a grand wooden desk, which bathes in the afternoon sun. The back wall of the room is covered with a large world map full of countries Yuuri didn’t even know existed. The lands are painted with different bright colours, while every sea is coloured with the same shade of blue.

“Right now we are here,” Mila tells him and points at the map, Vladivostok is marked with a tiny star. “Can you show us where you are from?”

Yuuri frowns at the map, obviously he can’t just go pointing at the sea, that would be too suspicious. Besides, Sea of Japan is surrounded by three different countries, which doesn’t really help him coming up with a good lie. Distantly, he remembers his father’s family was originally from the southern part of the kingdom, close to the borders of Empire of Japan. He points vaguely at an island called “Kyushu”.

“Oh, you’re Japanese!” Viktor cries, peeking over his shoulder. “I guessed right!”

“You should have let me deal with him right from the beginning, you’re so useless sometimes, Vitya,” Mila says lightly. Yuuri had no idea that court members could speak this informally to the royalty. Not that his kingdom is that different, though, at least Yuri doesn’t care about the etiquette at all.

“Okay, Beach Boy, how old are you then?” Mila continues, her eyes bright with self-confidence. She raises both of her hands and shows her fingers to him. “Okay, so this is ten – wait a minute, I’m not that young!” Then, she bends her thumbs, leaving eight fingers to sight. “And then you plus eight to ten and ta-dah, you get my age, eighteen! Understood? Now it’s your turn.”

At least Yuuri doesn’t need to lie on this one. Following the example, he manages to tell them his age. Viktor seems quite happy about the fact their age difference isn’t that large.

“Last one for a now. Did you arrive here alone?”

Technically that’s true, despite the help he is receiving from his friends, Yuuri is on his own on the land. He nods again at her.

“Is your family in Japan?”

Answering this question is harder than any of the previous ones. A simple and innocent question, a theme every merperson refers regularly to when conversing with others. Even though it’s been so long, talking about family still hurts. Yuuri can’t look at Mila when he shakes his head, he fears she will see through him. When at his most vulnerable state, his cover is full of holes.

“So you don’t have a family either. I’m sorry to hear that.”

_Either?_

“Okay, I think we have been bothering our guest enough for now,” Viktor says in a way that sounds a bit too hurried to Yuuri. “The Beach Boy gets cold, being forced to stand here and listen to our questioning. Mila, could you take him to the guest room – the biggest one, of course – and prepare a bath for him so that he could get warm? And find Aleksey and ask him to get some clean clothes to our guest and to help him get dressed for dinner, will you?”

“Sure, _your majesty_ ,” Mila replies and curtsies quickly, stressing the last two words in a way that makes her obeying sound more sarcastic than honest. Still, when facing Yuuri, her smile seems genuine, reassuring him to let go of his worries for a while.

“Our chef promised to make us some fish for dinner,” Mila continues, speaking to Yuuri now. “Do you like fish, Beach Boy?”

Yuuri feels blood disappear from his face, he couldn’t have heard that correctly, could he? Even the idea of eating fish makes him shiver, they’re important citizens of his kingdom and many of them sit in the same council with Minako, negotiating about new laws and edicts with merfolk. Reflexively, Yuuri places his hand over his mouth to curb nausea from taking over his body. He will die if he needs to take a single bite of any marine animal.

“Now he seems ill, could it be that he can’t eat seafood?” Georgi comments. “Anya used to get sick from eating shellfish.”

“Or maybe she was just damn picky,” Yakov grunts, giving Yuuri a look that suggests he thinks the same about him.

“Picky or not, our guests won’t be left hungry,” Viktor says, his tone slightly snappy. “Yakov, inform Francis to make something else. Is there anything else you’re unable to eat, Beach Boy?”

It wasn’t a very good question since Yuuri can only answer with nods or shakes, but he is pretty sure everything else will be edible, as long as it has nothing to do with the marine animals. Viktor’s mood seems to improve a little when he shakes his head for an answer.

“Wonderful. But now, Mila, please. Our guest needs his bath.”

Mila wraps her arm around Yuuri’s shoulder and starts guiding him to the top floor of the mansion, chatting lightly to him on the way. Yuuri nods politely at her words, though he forgets most of them after a few seconds. He is already eager to find out what bathing feels like in his human form.

 

 

***

“Mind explaining what that earlier was about?” Viktor asks coldly, having removed the last forced pieces of his beaming expression the moment Mila left the room with the Beach Boy. Losing his temper in front of the guest was not an option, though Yakov gave him a hard time on this one. Never in his life has he thought _he_ should be the one scolding his court for behaving rudely.

Yakov groans in an irritated manner. “Shouldn’t _you_ be the one explaining us something, Vitya?”

“What do you mean by that?”

His counsellor gives Georgi a certain look, though the latter doesn’t seem to understand its meaning. Yakov sighs loudly and mutters something under his breath, probably something about young people being useless again. When he opens up, it sounds like he is very close to losing it completely.

“God help us, how can you be so blind? It’s an obvious plot! That boy is sent here to spy on us!”

Viktor can’t keep a straight face for longer than two blinks. His first sounds of laughter roar so loudly Makkachin actually jumps away from him and hides behind Georgi’s back. “So, Yakov, you are really suggesting that the Japanese would drop a mute, illiterate and naked boy close to our borders and try to make him get some valuable information about our empire?”

Yakov glares angrily at him. “You might find this funny now, Vitya, but I doubt that’s not the case when we all are murdered in our beds.”

“Now you’re just making it up, Yakov,” Viktor says lightly. “Last time I checked, our relationship with the Empire of Japan was quite decent. There’s no reason for them to act in the way you suggest.”

“Could be, but sometimes conflicts are born out of nothing…” Yakov exhales in a way that makes Viktor want to shut his ears from further lecturing about foreign relations. However, his counsellor doesn’t continue his critique-filled speech right away; Viktor can almost see wheels spinning in his head. A moment later, his eyes grow wider and get filled with disbelief.

_Did he find out already?_

“…Vitya, you’re not imagining this boy would be the one who supposedly saved you, are you?”

“What boy?” Georgi asks curiously.

Viktor can’t believe he didn’t remember to mention anything about his angelic saviour to him. He opens his mouth excitedly to share his knowledge about the mysterious and beautiful-voiced boy to his friend, but Yakov angrily cuts him off.

“No one, Vitya probably hit his head when almost getting drowned, for he thought some boy saved him and held him or something as ridiculous as that.”

“Actually, he kissed my forehead and sang to me.”

“That sounds so romantic! I wish Anya and I…”

“Shut it, Georgi, no one gives a damn about Anya!” Yakov spits, leaving Georgi looking so hurt Viktor actually feels sorry for him despite being quite sick about the topic himself. “Vitya, can’t you see any problems with your logic? _If_ we assume some boy saved you, he still couldn’t be the same person as this ‘Beach Boy’. You know why – because he is mute, unable to sing!”

“You know, there’s always a possibility that someone cut his tongue off afterwards – wait, I saw it, that couldn’t be the case, after all. He could have a sore throat, too.”

“And now you’re the one being ridiculous.”

“But you are allowing him to stay with us, are you not?”

Viktor holds his breath impatiently, ready to come up with a new argument, illogical or not, if Yakov still doesn’t want to surrender. His counsellor tries to silently find support from Georgi, but to Viktor’s delight, the man tells out loud he doesn’t object to the Beach Boy staying, quite the opposite. Georgi thinks the Beach Boy seems genuine and mild-mannered, not a potential spy but someone whose company would offer a nice change to all of their lives. Though sometimes a bit tiresome with his tendency to cling to the past, Georgi has his pros, the biggest of them being the fine knowledge of human nature, at least right now.

Yakov groans; Viktor knows he has won another round against him, not yet losing one. “Fine, he can stay. But if he does anything suspicious, _anything_ that makes us suspect his trustworthiness, he leaves immediately.”

 

 

***

Yuuri feels warm and oddly sleepy, something he has never experienced when under the surface. The temperature of the sea varies, naturally, but his body has always adapted to the changes, so even the coldest of waters have never bothered him. Water has always felt neutral to him, like air that never changes. But soaking in the bathtub was quite another experience, a way to relax his muscles completely, a moment he would have wanted to continue for ever. Maybe sitting inside a hot house feels almost like this, too.

Yuuri slips into his black trousers and starts buttoning up his white dress shirt, his fingers a bit clumsy as they aren’t used to such a task. Aleksey, one of Viktor’s servants, brought the clothes to him before he went to the bath and promised to return to him before dinner. He didn’t speak much English, but they were able to understand each other just well enough. Despite seeming a little aloof, Aleksey was civil towards him, at least more civil than Yakov had been.

So far, Yuuri’s task is going okay. He has managed to find Viktor (which technically was the other way around, but Yuuri has decided he should give himself some credit, too, since he probably would never have done anything like this) and is now in his mansion, getting ready for dinner. He has been given a very nice bedroom with dark furniture and red covers and Viktor has been nothing but sweet to him, just like he’s been dreaming of. If only Mari could see him now, she would definitely be proud of him.

Someone knocks the door and a moment later, Mila sticks her head out from the door chink. She has secured her wavy hair behind her head and changed into a dark dress that has left her shoulders visible. She snorts when she notices that Yuuri has buttoned his shirt wrong.

“No, no, not like that!” Mila laughs heartily and walks to him. “Let me help you. Hmm, it seems that your clothes are a bit large, too. I’m sorry we didn’t have anything in your size; we have got rid of Vitya’s old clothes, they could have been a better fit. But no worries, I brought some needles so that we can trick others’ gazes. Be still, I don’t want to accidentally hurt you.”

Yuuri nods and lets her fix his shirt and pin needles to his clothes to make them fit better. It feels so natural that Yuuri starts questioning Mila’s presence just when she is helping his vest on.

Mila chuckles quietly as if she was able to read his thoughts.  “I know Aleksey was supposed to be helping you, but I asked him to let me do it instead. I wanted to talk to you, you know.”

Yuuri gives her a confused look and a nod. Putting on his dinner jacket, he has finally finished dressing up. It feels a bit tiresome to wear so many layers, but at least Mila seems to approve of his look.

“There you go, aren’t you a handsome man, Beach Boy! You look like a prince, you know!”

_I don’t know anything about handsome but at least I really am a prince._

Mila tilts her head, studying his features carefully. When wearing heels, she seems even a bit taller than Yuuri. “Hmm, but I think there’s something that could make you stand out a bit more, make you really shine.” Experimentally, she brushes his bangs away from his forehead. Yuuri blinks when her blue eyes widen suddenly.

“That’s it! Please, sit in front of the mirror and I’ll fix your hair really quickly! I’m sure Vitya will be absolutely smitten when he sees you!”

Yuuri sits on the stool, his eyes on his lap and cheeks burning. Mila giggles at his reaction and hums something in Russian before starting to comb his hair backwards. It feels very relaxing, just like when his mum used to do his hair.

“There’s something I want you to know, Beach Boy,” Mila begins, her tone slightly more serious than before. “Vitya may seem sunny most of the time, but he is actually pretty lonely. His parents, the late emperor Lyov and empress Valeriya passed away five years ago. They were both quite old already and when the latest cholera pandemic struck – it’s a very serious disease,” she explains, interpreting Yuuri’s confused expression correctly. “Well, they didn’t make it. Though Vitya was already a grown-up, he was still deeply hurt by their loss, since nobody wants to lose their family. You understand, don’t you?”

Yuuri nods, fighting against the insidious feeling that scratches his throat and tries to make his eyes water. Mila seems to notice he isn’t very comfortable with the topic, so she hurries on. “It’s not that Vitya is completely alone. He has a very large court and we all adore him, but even though he is very extroverted, he keeps his worries to himself and isn’t very close with anyone else than Yakov, Georgi, and Lilia – she’s not here with us, since someone needed to stay in St Petersburg and keep the country running. And of course me, too. But here’s one thing: I haven’t told the others yet, but I’m actually engaged.”

Yuuri raises his gaze and smiles at her through the mirror, trying to congratulate her that way. Mila smiles back at him. “Thank you. Her name is Sara and she’s the princess of the Kingdom of Italy, it’s a country in the southern Europe. I’m planning to move there next winter.”

Now Yuuri understands where she is heading with her speech, now he understands why her smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes. Mila nods and exhales quietly, trying to find the right words to carry on.

“When I’m marrying princess Sara, I’m also breaking my bonds to the Russian court and leaving Vitya behind. Don’t get me wrong, he would never prevent me from going, since he sincerely wants me to be happy. But of course it will hurt him, he is losing someone again. And Yakov and Lilia aren’t that young anymore, it’s a miracle they have grown so old! Unfortunately, Makkachin, the dog, is also very old and I’m sure he won’t live for many years anymore. And then there’s Georgi, who is extremely loyal to Vitya, but if he gets over his ex-fiancée Anya and finds a new love one day, he will probably leave Vitya, too. At some point, we all will be leaving him.”

Mila has finished doing Yuuri’s hair and bends over his shoulder, her fingers brushing his locks in tiny movements like she wasn’t sure if she could touch him like that. They stare at each other’s reflections quietly, trying to find a silent understanding, trying to open their hearts to each other. Finally, Mila’s lips part for her last request:

“I’m not asking you to fall in love with him and stay with him for us, because one can’t be forced to love another. But can I ask you for one thing? The time you stay with us, please, try to give him joy. Try to help us make him happy.”

_I will do my best. I will give him all the love I have._

Yuuri can’t say that, especially the last part, but he is sure at least some of his thoughts have reached Mila. Her lips form a silent ‘thank you’ and she pulls away, returning to her usual, lively form.

“Come, let’s not make them wait. Besides, I’m starting to get a bit hungry.”

Mila guides him to the dining room, her fingers pressed around his arm. The lamps of the mansion are radiating dimly, for the sun has set below the horizon and darkness has laid its veil upon the land, the thin fabric full of sparkling dots of light. Yuuri blinks when they step inside the dining room, his eyes trying to accustom to the brightness. As his vision steadies, he can’t help gulping silently. Viktor is wearing light-blue trousers and a white high-collared jacket that is decorated with golden epaulettes and a matching aiguillette. His slender waist is highlighted with a belt that matches the colour of his eyes. Yuuri has never seen him look so beautiful.

“Oh my, isn’t our Beach Boy looking dreamy!” Viktor cries out loud and causes Yuuri to forget how to breathe for a few seconds. Mila pushes him gently forward and Viktor reaches him with a few steps, beaming so brightly Yuuri almost wants to move his eyes from him to calm his poor heart. It might have been for the best, to be honest. His pulse escapes completely from his control when Viktor takes his hand and places a kiss to the back of it. It takes all his self-control not to pull his hand away, not because it felt awful but because the gesture came out of nowhere. Only lovers kiss each other’s hands in his kingdom.

“Ah, he’s burning,” Viktor remarks, chuckling at Yuuri’s reaction and making him want to die. “Cute.”

“No wonder he is, you Casanova wannabe,” Mila sighs but there’s a sign of laughter in her voice. “Didn’t seem to occur to you that the Japanese aren’t very open when it comes to showing physical affection, not even in situations like this when greeting someone and indicating politeness.”

Viktor freezes for a blink of an eye, still holding Yuuri’s hand in his own. “I’m so sorry,” he hurries, his cheeks slightly pink. “I hope I didn’t startle you. You just looked so beautiful I couldn’t think of anything else.”

If Yuuri’s face wasn’t crimson enough a few moments ago, it definitely is now. He shakes his head furiously, trying to indicate he is fine with the hand-kiss and not close to passing out. It doesn’t help that his mind keeps looping Viktor’s words, making them echo clearly in his ears.

“Are you going to stand there the whole evening or did you plan to eat at all?” Yakov grunts, breaking the magic. Yuuri catches Viktor rolling his eyes before he escorts him to the table. He is seated on Viktor’s left side, next to Mila and opposite of Yakov, whose stare makes Yuuri want to shrink. The female servant who brings them plates gives him a cold look, too. Yuuri is sure Yakov has complained about the change on the menu and now the whole kitchen staff collectively hates him.

Viktor thanks the woman when she pours him some wine and Yuuri studies the contents of his plate. It’s filled with green leaf-like things that have been put together into a beautiful layout. It should be fine to eat, for no fish or other marine animals are present on his plate. However, there’s a tiny problem, he has no idea what to do next. Everyone in his kingdom eats with their hands, but since no one has begun to eat yet, Yuuri doesn’t dare to try. Suddenly he feels relieved, a familiar object is laying on the table next to his plate, the comb he presented to Phichit some time ago. It feels a bit weird for these people to bring a comb to their dinner table, but since they like spending time naked in a _banya_ , it’s also highly possible that they have some weird dining rituals as well. Wanting to respect their customs, Yuuri grabs the comb and pulls it through his hair a few times.

Everyone stops when seeing his act, the female servant almost pouring the wine to the table. Yuuri realizes he has somehow managed to mess up perfectly. Face burning, he bows deeply to Viktor and curses the part of him that thought initiating at least once would be a good idea. He is ready to flee the room when Viktor begins to laugh. Not mockingly but wholeheartedly like he hasn’t seen anything so funny for ages.

“Sorry, my mistake. I should have explained this beforehand, you use chopsticks in Japan, right?”

“If you think about it for a while, a fork does resemble a comb a bit,” Mila muses and pulls the fork through her free locks.

Viktor grabs his fork to try the same, but Yakov interrupts him, calling them all childish and telling them to focus on eating. The warmth stays on Yuuri’s cheeks through the whole dinner, but fortunately, he doesn’t make any more embarrassing mistakes. And maybe the first tiny disaster wasn’t that horrible, after all. At least it made Viktor gaze at him the whole evening, eyes twinkling as if he was watching a miracle of sorts.

 

 

***

_“He did WHAT?”_

“Kissed Yuuri’s hand,” Phichit repeats, lifting Yuuri’s hand carefully and checking his expression for support. Yuuri has changed into his borrowed pyjamas, his tuxedo folded on the stool in front of the dressing table. He and Phichit are sitting on his bed, the latter came knocking behind his window almost the minute he returned from the dinner. They managed to have quite a conversation despite Yuuri being able to take part only with vague gestures; it’s their luck Phichit is intuitive and knows which questions to ask. His friend is now passing on information to Yuri and Otabek via a large seashell he brought with him.

 _“If this trend continues, his highness will become a human in no time,”_ Otabek comments. Phichit pokes Yuuri with his elbow and grins triumphally at him.

“No doubt he will, our boy is doing so great! However, something odd happened before when Yuuri arrived here. I suggested he should tell everything to Viktor by writing but he couldn’t do that.”

 _“What do you mean he couldn’t do that?”_ Yuri asks, his tone irritated.

“Well, Yuuri smuggled a pen and paper here and showed me: he simply cannot write. The moment he touched the paper, he dropped the pen as if in pain. It’s like something is preventing him from writing and if we think logically, it can’t be anything but magic.”

_“But the manatee got the legs for his voice, Beka and I were there! He read the contract, didn’t he?”_

“Yeah,” Phichit interprets Yuuri’s nod. “But for some reason this still keeps happening.”

 _“I knew there was something damn fishy_ _about that slimy Sea Wizard,”_ Yuri mutters angrily but softens his tone a bit for his next words as though trying to prevent Yuuri from starting to panic. _“Don’t start crying just yet, manatee, Beka and I will go back to his cave and make him give you some compensation, willingly or not. We’ll keep you informed.”_

The quiet whoosh ceases, Yuri has ended the call. Phichit lays the seashell to Yuuri’s nightstand and wraps his arms around him, letting his eyes scan the room around him. “Viktor definitely likes you since he gave you such a nice room, you know. I can’t wait to see what kind of room you will be given when you marry him and move to the Winter Palace in St Petersburg. You’ll invite me there often, won’t you?”

Yuuri nods, smiling coyly at the thought of being married to Viktor and touches his friend’s hands gently, trying to tell him how grateful he is for his help.

Phichit laughs quietly and shakes his head. “Anything for you, Yuuri. Anything.”

They both freeze at the sound of closing steps and a heartbeat later, Yuuri hears Viktor call his nickname in the hall. Yuuri dashes to open the window for his friend, who changes quickly into a seagull.

 _“Better take off, it would be hella awkward if your husband-to-be found another man in your bed,”_ Phichit jokes, receiving a very disapproving glare from Yuuri. _“Good night, see you tomorrow!”_

Yuuri is just closing the window, when Viktor opens the door. Makkachin rushes immediately to him, fishing for affection. Yuuri brushes his fluffy fur with his fingers, the dog isn’t that terrifying, after all.

“Hey. Were you watching the stars?” Viktor asks, smiling. He is still wearing the suit from the dinner.

Yuuri nods and turns to him, waiting. His stomach is already filled with warmth.

“I just wanted to come say goodnight,” Viktor continues, his voice so gentle Yuuri wants to go straight to him and never let go him. “I had a really nice time today and I’d love to show you around the town tomorrow, if that’s okay with you.”

_More than that._

Viktor smiles at his expression. “Did you see that bell near your door? If you need anything during the night, just ring it and some of my servants will appear. Or if you’re afraid they won’t understand you, you can come wake me up. Just step out and turn to right; my room is at the end of the corridor. Really, I don’t mind being woken up.”

Yuuri nods gratefully at him, being able to show only a small percentage of his feelings to the man.

“I’ll let you sleep now. Makka, come on, Beach Boy must be tired and I need my beauty sleep.”

Yuuri lowers his gaze, but to his surprise, Makkachin has sneaked away. He gives a silent laugh when he sees that the animal has occupied his bed.

“Really, Makkachin!” Viktor sighs. “Now’s not the time to be disobedient, you’re a grown-up, not a puppy! If you don’t come here this instant, I need to carry you back to my room by myself.”

Shaking his head, Yuuri grips his wrist lightly. He doesn’t mind if the dog stays, he is slowly growing quite fond of him. Besides, having him by his side at the night makes Yuuri feel less concerned about the unnamed creaks of the mansion.

“You’re really fine with that? Because I will drag him out, if you want to,” Viktor assures. “Okay, suit yourself. I might get a bit jealous, though, of him staying here.”

Yuuri’s heart throbs confusedly, he is not sure whether Viktor meant he didn’t like the fact that his dog chose Yuuri over him or that he would have wanted to stay with Yuuri instead. The man never tells the truth, though, just hums at his expression and wishes him sweet dreams, fingers caressing his hand before pulling away. Yuuri is pretty sure the man will eventually be the death of him.

Yuuri still feels the touch on his skin when he lies under the covers, petting Makkachin in an absent manner. He has almost two days left and he is getting more and more positive he might actually make it. If he plays his part well tomorrow, he will never need to return to the sea again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Again, comments and kudos are appreciated! :> Also, you can find me on [Tumblr](http://sophiafrederica.tumblr.com/)!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“Hey,” the emperor says, his voice warm with excitement. “I realized I still don’t know your name and you know, it feels a bit rude to call you ‘Beach Boy’ all the time. How about I try guessing it? I must say I have a very limited knowledge of Japanese names, but I’m sure your name is just as beautiful as you are.”_
> 
>  
> 
> _Yuri needs to dunk his head under the surface to keep his groan silent from the couple, resisting the urge to topple the boat in the process._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, I’m so sorry about the delay! I was a bit busy with my bachelor’s thesis and didn’t really have time to update this fic earlier :’> But anyway, the chapter is finally finished and we’re getting closer to the ending again. I hope you enjoy this chapter and support Viktor trying to kiss the boy. ;)
> 
> Once again, thank you all for your support: your comments and kudos make me so happy!
> 
> Beta’d by lovely [Spigu](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Spigu/pseuds/Spigu)!

A soft warm breeze tickles Yuuri’s hair in the motion, he didn’t even know wind could feel like this, nor that humans could travel so quickly. Even though yesterday showed that dwellers of the soil can move quite smoothly on their feet, they’re still slow when compared to terrestrial animals. But humans are smart, they find ways to benefit from other beings to reduce their weaknesses. It was proved when Viktor took him to see his horses and had them harnessed for a carriage drive through the streets of Vladivostok. The driver has complained about their speed for a couple of times now, but Viktor only laughs heartily at him, telling him to enjoy life for once. The speed has complicated Yuuri’s observations of the town scape, but he doesn’t mind that much. Nothing beats the view of a laughing Viktor Nikiforov.

_”You look like a couple already.”_

Yuuri jumps a little before turning his gaze to his left, Phichit’s seagull form has landed on the rail of the carriage. Yuuri would like to scold his friend for arriving unnoticed and startling him, but he can’t make a scene here because he is with Viktor. Luckily, the man is again busy with arguing about the speed with the driver.

 _“Listen, Yuuri, I exchanged information with Yuri and Otabek this morning and they tried to go and pressure the Sea Wizard last night. However, they told me they couldn’t find his cave anymore, I don’t know how that’s even possible. But let’s stay calm, okay,”_ Phichit hurries when he sees Yuuri’s expression freeze, _“we have almost two whole days and we can break the spell if we work together!”_

Yuuri takes a deep breath and nods at his friend for a reply, if he panics now, he will ruin his task and let down everyone who have been helping him. They have done so much for him, he would be ashamed for the rest of his life if he didn’t manage to succeed in his task. Besides, Yuuri has been given a shot that he couldn’t have even dared to dream about earlier. He will be brave and show the gods of the sea that he can beat the hardships they have placed on his path and become worth of Viktor’s love.

“You know, Beach Boy, the more I spend time with you, the more mysterious you become,” Viktor says suddenly, eyes twinkling, his head resting on his palm. “I didn’t know you could talk to animals.”

Yuuri shoots a horrid look at Phichit before shaking his head furiously, using every possible gesture to tell Viktor he has been mistaken. The man lets him panic for a few seconds before bursting into laughter, bending over his knees and making Yuuri consider hopping off the moving carriage.

“Sorry, I was just kidding. But to be honest, you looked so concentrated on that bird that it felt as if you were having a conversation with it,” Viktor says and takes Yuuri’s hand in his own for an apology. “But you better be careful with seagulls, they tend to poop on people’s heads the moment they expect it the least. When I was younger, one seagull pooped on Yakov and it was quite hilarious, for the top of his head was bald even back then. You should have seen it!”

 _“If your emperor ever does anything mean to you, I’m going to make actual seagulls poop on_ his _head,”_ Phichit states, making Yuuri shake in silent laughter, while Viktor apparently interprets the reaction to be caused by his story. As Phichit flies off to meet Yuri and Otabek, Yuuri leans closer to Viktor, directing all of his attention back to the man. He doesn’t care that much about embarrassing stories of Viktor’s court, but he still tries his best to be as receptive as possible. Hearing his beloved talk to him is the best kind of treat, after all.

 

 

***

Around noon, Yuuri and Viktor are forced to return to the mansion, for Viktor needs to take care of some work that have been lying around on his desk for too long. He promises to work fast, kisses Yuuri’s hand as a promise and leaves Makkachin with him, telling him to look around in the mansion as much as he likes. Warmth doesn’t want to leave his cheeks even when left alone with the dog, a certain spot on the back of Yuuri’s hand feels hotter than anything around it. Checking that nobody is spying on him, Yuuri places a tiny kiss on the same spot that Viktor’s lips touched a while ago. He feels like a teenager and, embarrassed by his action, hurries to explore the mansion.

Yuuri goes through countless of rooms, avoiding the ones with people in them, especially the people he hasn’t met before, and stops to admire everything unfamiliar from paintings to curtain holders. He browses a few books and learns that Russian is written in a completely different alphabet than English or Japanese, but manages to find a book written in English and studies for a while how Russian bureaucracy works. But then something breaks his concentration, something more interesting. Yuuri hears music.

The music sounds different from what merfolk produce, but Yuuri is sure it’s music nevertheless. Waving to Makkachin to make him follow him, he steps back to the hall and starts heading to the direction of the noise, tracing the beautiful, clear notes. His eyes grow wider when he peeks inside a room he hasn’t been before. Georgi is sitting behind a huge, black machine that’s making those beautiful sounds. The man looks so focused on whatever he is doing to the machine, eyes closed, lips moving silently to the sounds. It’s like Yuuri has witnessed someone use the most beautiful kind of magic. He can’t help but clap at the performance.

The music stops and Georgi raises his gaze confusedly, but his expression softens a little when he sees Yuuri. “Hello, Beach Boy. I’m sorry about the noise, did I disturb you?”

Yuuri shakes his head eagerly and tries his best to show how much he enjoyed the music. Despite his pathetic attempt, his feelings seem to reach Georgi, for a smile takes over the usual serious look on his face.

“Thank you, you are very kind. I presume you enjoy music, too?”

_I wish I could tell you how much._

“I’ve been playing the piano ever since I was little,” Georgi tells him and gently pats the machine, the piano, “but I must admit I’m a bit rusty, for I haven’t played for a while. Anya, my ex-fiancée…”

A short pause follows the word “ex-fiancée”, during which Georgi clears his throat before continuing his speech. However, he doesn’t look as happy as he did a moment ago. “…She used to like to hear me play, she always said how much she adored artistic men like me. And then, she left me for a soldier…”

Now the man is sobbing for real, talking about the subject didn’t seem to be a very good idea, after all. Yuuri almost panics at the sight, without his voice, there isn’t much he can do to comfort Georgi. Instinctively, he hurries to him and wraps his arms around him. For a moment, he feels like he has failed again, just like on the dinner table, since the man freezes under his touch. But luckily for him, he receives a hug in return.

“We don’t usually hug each other here, for it’s not seen as very appropriate to show physical affection publicly,” Georgi tells him, giving a little laugh at the end of his words, “still, I needed that so much. Thank you, Beach Boy.”

Yuuri shakes his head and smiles at him, Georgi has placed his fingers back on the black and white keys of the piano. “You know, I haven’t thought much anything besides Anya lately, it starts to get a bit tiresome for me, too. I need to start focusing on other things as well. Shall I play something for you?”

Yuuri nods and closes his eyes when the first notes fill the air. This song has a happier tone than the former one, probably because Georgi is trying to cheer himself up at the same time. His body reacts to the sounds avidly and before Yuuri can realize it, his feet have taken him a bit further from the piano and are responding to the music. It feels different compared to being in water, but moving to beautiful sounds still fills his body with joy. In the next heartbeat, he catches a glimpse of Mila dashing into the room and taking his hand in her own, laughing and spinning him around before handing him to someone else. This time, he ends in Viktor’s arms, their bodies pressed together, eyes locked on each other’s. And in the world filled with music, Yuuri leaves all his worries behind for a while.

 

 

***

_“Are you absolutely sure about this?”_

_“Absolutely. The emperor is going to bring our prince to the bay this evening. He found out Yuuri is quite fond of stars and thinks he can see them better if they have a nice romantic boat trip.”_

_“Sounds disgusting.”_

_“Knew you’d say that. However, you do realize this is going to be a very crucial event for our prince, right?”_

_“’Course I do, I’m not an idiot! Besides, if they’re really coming to the sea, it’s Beka and I’s job to take care of them. You can just chill, birdman.”_

_“Hmm, are you really sure you can take care of it? No offense, but so far, I’ve only seen you try ruining romances, not actually building them.”_

_“Don’t underestimate me, you human-asshole, just because I’m not into romantic shit doesn’t mean I couldn’t support the manatee in any way! Moreover, you wouldn’t be much help either! What do you think you’d be even capable of doing there; try to ‘sing’ with that horrible caw-like voice of yours, huh?”_

The memory of the previous discussion with Phichit makes Yuri let out a quiet sound of irritation, though he is not entirely sure what makes him more annoyed: someone doubting his abilities or his task as a match-maker. The little he has seen of his prince’s human emperor hasn’t really changed Yuri’s opinion about the man; he can’t see why on earth the manatee adores him so much. But on the other hand, maybe two air-heads suit each other well. Still, Yuri has decided that if he ever wants to fall in love, only a sane person will do. Watching the prince from afar, he doesn’t want to turn into a similar love-sick wreck himself.

“Hey, are you ready for the show?”

Yuri turns his head slightly to the direction of the voice, Otabek has got to the surface and is swimming slowly towards the rocks behind which he is hiding. His eyes look like dark stars in the dusk.

“Yeah. Besides, I don’t even have that much to do,” Yuri says, grinning at him. “You’re the maestro, after all. I bet you’ve planned some really cheesy background music the couple will love.”

Otabek shrugs, but there’s a hint of a shy smile on his lips. Although not widely known, Otabek is very talented at making music with his magic. While basically every merperson is at least a decent singer, making music of their own is actually a gift only a few share. Yuri wonders whether he could ask Otabek to make music for him if he wants to continue practicing dancing at some point. 

“It feels so unreal.”

“What precisely?”

“Everything,” Yuri says and turns to float on his back, facing the dark starry sky above him. At times like his, he can kind of understand why his prince likes coming to the surface so much. “The manatee became a human just yesterday and if everything goes well tonight, he won’t ever return to the sea. I wonder what the fuck we’re going to say to the regent.”

“We’ll worry about it later, supporting our prince’s happiness is more important,” Otabek replies, smiling gently at him. “You know what feels unreal to me, Yura: how much you’ve grown during these few days. After this all ends, you can call yourself a true soldier.”

Yuri snorts at his friend’s words. “Really, Beka, who knew you could be so sentimental!”

“Shh, they’re here. Can you see them?”

Yuri rolls to his stomach and squints to the direction Otabek is pointing at. It’s a bit difficult to spot the boat in the dark but the water carries a familiar voice to them. The emperor blabbers something unnecessary about his counsellor almost not letting them go rowing, since he was so worried about the man getting drowned for real this time.

“I’ll start preparing the music, you go to the boat, Yura,” Otabek whispers, his fingers drawing circles on the surface. “Don’t be seen.”

“I won’t. See you in a bit.”

Yuri dives and heads to the boat, it’s much easier to see its shadow when moving below the surface. He can already hear the first tones of Otabek’s music, they’re soft and quiet, sounding more like whispers of the sea than the music humans make. They’re not too noticeable but still have an alluring vibe; a perfect choice once again.

Yuri rises up silently right behind the emperor’s back and clings lightly to the boat, not wanting to be noticed. Viktor has stopped rowing and laughs at something Yuri didn’t manage to catch, though he is sure he wouldn’t have found it funny nevertheless. His prince seems to be enjoying himself, judging from the sight Yuri catches when he lifts his body a bit. The manatee’s expression stiffens a little when their eyes meet, but luckily he manages to gather himself before the human manages to notice anything.

“Hey,” the emperor says, his voice warm with excitement. “I realized I still don’t know your name and you know, it feels a bit rude to call you ‘Beach Boy’ all the time. How about I try guessing it? I must say I have a very limited knowledge of Japanese names, but I’m sure your name is just as beautiful as you are.”

Yuri needs to dunk his head under the surface to keep his groan silent from the couple, resisting the urge to topple the boat in the process. Talk about romantic shit, he really didn’t sign up for this when applying to military training. Yuri doesn’t even know why he is doing this anymore, surely those two can get disgustingly lovey-dovey without his help, right?

But they are not getting anywhere. Viktor keeps offering names at random and Yuuri, not being very helpful, shakes his head coyly at every Akira, Haruto and Takeru he hears. If Yuri were in his prince’s shoes, he would have got annoyed at the emperor’s stupidity already, but no, the manatee is different. He just sits there, blushing and smiling tenderly as if he were willing to take any name Viktor would give him. Yuri can’t bear to watch this crap anymore.

“For fuck’s sake,” he hisses in Russian behind the emperor’s back, ready to disappear below the surface in case Viktor tries to find the origin of the extra voice. “Listen to me, you dumbass! His name is Yuuri, okay? _Yuuri_ with a long ‘u’.”

“Yuuri?” Viktor repeats in a confused manner, sounding unsure whether he should trust the suggestion or not. But in a second he is beaming, Yuuri has rewarded him with a happy nod.

His prince blushes hard when the emperor reaches out for his hand, caressing his skin gently with his long fingers. His voice is barely audible.  “Yuuri, huh? I was right, your name is so beautiful. Yuuri…”

_Now I want to barf._

Suddenly, the boat hits something and Yuuri sways forward in the motion, landing awkwardly in Viktor’s arms. Yuri digs his head below the surface and grins when he sees Otabek give him a thumbs-up – his partner is a genius. Following his lead, Yuri swims a bit further from the boat before rising up again and covers his mouth with his hands the instant his eyes find the couple again.

Yuri knows how his prince would normally react in situations like this: blush and retreat, probably wish to be buried in an Oceanic trench. But this time, Yuuri seems different. Even from the distance, despite the lack of light, Yuri can see the prince has changed into something more confident. His face feels oddly warm when he watches the prince press himself against Viktor, his fingers caressing the emperor’s face. The latter doesn’t seem to mind the act, either, a bit stiffly he leans closer to Yuuri, his eyes half-lidded. Yuri turns his stare at Otabek to prevent himself from shouting and ruining everything. His partner nods in return.

_We did it, we managed to beat that fucking Sea Wizard! Fuck him and the contract, this is how we win!_

In the same heartbeat, a huge wave throws the boat upside down, the swell forcefully hitting Yuri and Otabek, too. Yuri feels more surprised than shocked when he sinks below the surface, but a second later the growing anxiety reminds him of a cruel fact: his prince cannot breathe underwater anymore and isn’t a very good swimmer without his tail, either. Fortunately, the manatee seems unharmed; Viktor pulls them both above the surface and helps Yuuri back to the boat, mumbling something about getting back to the land soon. Still, his heart won’t calm down.

“What the fuck was that, Beka? That wasn’t part of your plan, now was it?”

“Of course not, I didn’t see that coming, either,” Otabek replies, his eyes narrowing as always when concentrating on something. “The wave came out of nowhere, I couldn’t sense any signs of it before it struck. The most logical explanation would be magic; however, I can’t trail it anywhere. It’s like no spell was ever cast.”

“Yeah, but we both know that _had_ to be the case!” Yuri exclaims, anger twitching inside his chest. “I mean, the weather conditions were perfect, such a swell couldn’t have been born from that non-existent wind! If this was the Sea Wizard again, I’m going to fucking impale him and feed him to sharks!”

To his surprise, Otabek doesn’t even try calm him down this time. “I’ll help you lure the sharks.”

 

 

***

“Phew, that was so close, _way_ too close! Luckily your reflexes work so well, great job, my darling!”

Isabella lifts her gaze from the grand bubble located in the middle of the main hall of their cave, a pleased smile twisting her lips. The figures inside the bubble are slowly starting to fade away, little by little they lose their colours and return to the same shade of blue. “It was nothing. I was just helping you out, sweetheart.”

Her fiancé chuckles softly and swims to her, pulling her into a loving embrace. “You should take more credit of your skills, my dear. There are not many whose magical abilities are equivalent to mine.”

“It’s only because I’ve had such a wonderful teacher.”

“Can’t argue with that,” the man says, his voice full of pride, before placing a kiss on her forehead. “But really, you _are_ talented. Not only in the field of magic but also when it comes to your wits. Luckily we recovered the protection spell on our home before those nosy guards came back. They’ve caused us a lot of trouble.”

“That’s true. That little prince has received so much help from them – back then, I thought they’d offer no harm to our plans,” Isabella hisses, the feeling of irritation scratching her stomach. It annoys her that she left her guard down while luring the prince to follow her, she should have been more careful. Because of her, their plan almost failed even before its crucial start.

Her fiancé holds her tighter as if having read her thoughts. “Don’t worry about those silly little guards, my love, they’re as dangerous as plankton. But I must say, the prince himself isn’t as easy an opponent as we initially thought. Despite being such a blue-eyed weakling, he has shown a surprising amount of determination – I should have realized it the night he saved that human from our storm. Ah, I really don’t like people like him, you can never be sure if your manipulation has actually worked on them the way you wanted…”

“You mustn’t doubt your abilities, darling,” Isabella hushes, gently caressing her fiancé’s cheek. “Everything is proceeding so well, all there is left is to prevent the prince from getting the kiss. And this shouldn’t be too difficult to you, isn’t that right, my love?”

A proud smirk takes over the man’s face, fading out every last bit of insecurity on the way. “Of course not. For I am the one and only Sea Wizard and there is no one who can beat me.”

They share a kiss, a bit longer than their usual ones, for they know they need to separate for almost 24 hours. Isabella unlocks her shell amulet and offers it to her fiancé. The pendant vibrates slightly on her palm, the voice trapped inside of it trying to break out from its prison without any chance. If she could have, Isabella would have wanted to execute this part of the plan herself. The idea of seeing her beloved acting smitten with another person, despite the gender, paints her mind black. Still, she knows her fiancé is the only one who can pull this off. A man’s voice is something she cannot carry.

The voice of jealousy quiets down in her ears as Isabella sees the man before him slowly transform into another person, a man who walks on the soil and whose heart doesn’t yearn for the sea the way their hearts do. Despite his features changing radically, Isabella would recognize her beloved anywhere.

Gently, she blows a large bubble to cover the man’s head and let him breathe without any problems. Her heart aches a little when she sees her fiancé wave to her for a goodbye, but the feeling of pride manages to keep it together. There is nothing that can prevent them from getting their happy ending.

“Yes, JJ. Soon you will become the king of the sea – not only of this sea, but of every sea there is. Soon nobody can look down on you anymore.”

 

 

***

A sharp strike of pain slashes her head warningly, reminding Minako that she has once again passed her legal work hours ages ago. The writing on the stone tablets before her has become blurry in her eyes, like some sort of a code language she can’t figure out despite her wits and multilingualism. However, the moment she lets her eyes rest, her mind gets filled with dozens of numbers she and the members of the council were working on earlier. Planning budgets isn’t actually Minako’s favourite job, but a regent must take care of her responsibilities. Having been working so hard, even a regent is allowed to reward herself afterwards.

_Tonight, I’m going to drink till dawn._

Unfortunately, her thoughts get interrupted; a guard calls her, telling someone wishes to see her. Groaning internally, Minako adjusts her floral headpiece and forces a fake smile on her lips before allowing the visitor to enter the room. To her surprise, Yuuko has arrived to see her.

“I’m sorry to interrupt you so late, my lady,” Yuuko begins timidly, her eyes unwilling to settle down, her body language revealing her deepest wishes of just running away from the situation. The sight breaks Minako’s heart a little, her earlier behaviour must have caused such a reaction. Tiredly, she offers Yuuko a smile, offering it as an apology of a coward.

“It’s fine, Yuuko. What can I do for you?”

A tiny glint of confidence flashes in her eyes. “I wanted to talk to you about his highness, my lady.”

Minako frowns, she should have seen this coming. Of course Yuuri would send someone else to negotiate, relying on a trusted ally like a child who has fought with his parents and asks an older sibling to help him out. It annoys her, Yuuri not wanting to face her himself, but Minako knows she shouldn’t complain. The act shows his godchild has finally forgot his obsession about the human world and wants to apologize for his actions, wants the two of them to become closer again, just like in the old times. Minako feels her heart warm a little, she has been too harsh on Yuuri. He is still young and making mistakes at his age is completely normal; she is the last person in the kingdom who should lecture him about it, after all.

“You can tell him he can return home now.”

“Madam, I…”

“Of course, I’m still disappointed in his behaviour, but that’s not anything we couldn’t sort out. I apologize for the trouble he caused you when staying at your home, Yuuko, you know how he gets when he is upset.”

“Madam, please,” Yuuko interrupts her, her voice slightly rising, the tone becoming desperate. “Yuuri is not at my home. I tried looking for him earlier, I checked his chamber and the cave where you and he had a quarrel, didn’t see a glimpse of him. I wanted to ask if you knew about his whereabouts, I’m starting to get a bit worried…”

Something cold crushes Minako’s heart, making her forget everything about breathing for a few seconds. A high-pitched ‘pardon’ is all she manages to produce.

“I… I can’t find him anywhere, my lady,” Yuuko repeats, her voice close to breaking. “I tried looking for guards Altin and Plisetsky as well, without any luck. You don’t think he has… harmed himself, do you?”

The mental image hits Minako too hard, Yuuri’s lifeless figure lying next to her family’s graves, his tail covered with blood. It makes her cheeks lose all their colour, fills her throat with a huge lump that makes every new gasp hurt as if she had swallowed needles. She must be overreacting, Yuuri would never do something like that to himself, she knows him! He wouldn’t hurt her that way, he knows her heart wouldn’t make it. But on the other hand, Minako has given him every reason to avenge her in the cruellest way there is. She forced him to give up on the one thing he truly loves.

“Madam,” Yuuko whispers hoarsely, her eyes gleaming dangerously, “what do we do?”

Minako rises stiffly from her seat, focusing on every muscle on her face to keep her expression at least close to calm. “Go inform the guards, no one in our kingdom shall rest until we find our prince.”

_And dear gods of the sea, I beg you. Please, let him be safe._

 

 

***

Viktor has always loved this point of summer, the point where the season starts slowly showing signs of change. Even though they can still enjoy the warmth, autumn is drawing closer every day. Nights are getting darker, skies starrier. Ever since little, Viktor has enjoyed star-gazing, he used to stay awake with his astronomy books in his reach, eyes glimmering as he tried to spot the asterisms the pictures showed. Even back then, he dreamt of going to star-gazing with his future beloved. Tonight is the closest he has ever been to making his dream come true.

Viktor brushes his lips reflexively, though they remained untouched in the end, they feel surprisingly warm, craving. Things with Yuuri escalated quicker than he initially thought, but Viktor isn’t complaining. He can’t even remember the last time he met someone as charming, someone as complex. With a quick glance, one could easily make a rough analysis of the character of his guest and forget him in a minute. Still, Viktor knows there’s more than meets the eye. Yuuri is a mystery, timid and kind, sure, but also quite a performer and bolder than one would guess. Viktor has always been good at reading people, but there’s something in Yuuri that manages to surprise him every time. He wouldn’t have guessed he would initiate a kiss.

_Damn the sea, it really doesn’t seem to like me._

Makkachin’s bark makes him snap back to reality, a figure is drawing close to him. It’s a bit difficult to tell in the darkness, but it doesn’t seem to be any of the guards. He frowns when Yakov greets him, his tone serious and difficult to interpret. His counsellor couldn’t wait to lecture him about the failed boat trip in the morning, after all.

“Vitya…”

“Yes, yes, the sea is very dangerous and I shouldn’t have taken the Beach Boy to the bay, for I’m the Emperor of Russia and it would have been quite a crisis if I had actually drowned this time,” Viktor says in a singsong before Yakov can continue any further. He’d rather be with his guest right now, he still hasn’t wished him good night and wants to do it before Yuuri goes to bed. The window of the guest room is still open and lit, he should make it in time if he conforms to Yakov just this once.

His counsellor raises his eyebrows suspiciously. “Did something happen while you were out?”

_Oh, the guards didn’t tell him, after all._

“No,” he lies. “But you could have said that. You weren’t really supporting my idea earlier.”

Yakov sighs in a way that shows nothing but disbelief. “We’ll talk about that later. There’s something else I want to discuss with you.”

“Really? What, if I may ask?”

“You’re not asking me to sit?”

Viktor smiles dryly and points at the open space next to him. It feels somehow awkward when Yakov takes a seat on the bench beside him, as if he is again a youngster waiting for a scolding to come. They share a moment in silence, before Yakov grunts something Viktor didn’t expect him to say:

“Vitya, it seems I may have misjudged the Beach Boy.”

Viktor blinks and leans closer like he didn’t hear his counsellor the first time. “Come again?”

It seems to annoy Yakov, but the man lets it pass. “Don’t get too proud of yourself, Vitya, you know it’s never bad to be careful when it comes to dealing with strangers. But I must admit I might have been wrong about him. I still find the boy a bit weird, but that’s probably because his culture is so different from ours. However, despite some of his odd characteristics, he has managed to bring some life to your summer mansion. Mila seems to like him a lot and Georgi finally found someone to whom he can ramble about Anya. And he has been very polite to me and the servants as well, he has definitely been raised well. And of course, then there’s you. I presume you had a pleasant day with him.”

“A very pleasant one,” Viktor assures him, grinning a bit too happily as his mind wanders back to the memory of Yuuri’s warm breath tickling his face. That’s something he can’t share with Yakov, though, for he is too old-fashioned and would probably have a heart-attack if he knew that Viktor was being _that_ intimate with someone else than his non-existent fiancé.

To his surprise, Yakov gives him a tiny smile. “I know you have been fussing about the boy that supposedly saved you, but you know, sometimes true happiness is found closer than you would think.”

Viktor is starting to become pretty sure that his counsellor has drunk every drop of their remaining wine supplies. “You want me to marry him?”

“Why not; it’s time for you to find a fiancé, after all. He may not be very talkative, but that doesn’t seem to bother you. Besides, he doesn’t seem that dumb; I caught him browsing some of your English books about politics this afternoon. I think he would balance your air-headed character quite well.”

Viktor simply smiles in return. “I’ll think about it.”

_Would it be a bit too forward if I proposed to him straight away?_

“Just don’t think for too long; we’ll be leaving for St Petersburg in a couple of days,” Yakov reminds him before rising back to his feet, petting Makkachin quickly before heading back to the mansion. His voice echoes loudly in the garden when he tells Viktor to go to bed soon, to which Viktor replies with a childish comment about being the Emperor and sleeping whenever he wants to. Nevertheless, he rises to his feet, too. He still needs to visit Yuuri and he wants to see how the man feels about the idea of them trying to share a kiss again.

Viktor is about to go inside, when his ears catch a distant voice. It’s soft yet full of emotion, oddly familiar like he has heard it before. Makkachin growls at it and pulls his trouser leg warningly, but Viktor shushes his dog, focusing on the voice. Whatever it is, it’s definitely calling him, wanting him to find its source. Before any of the guards or his dog can stop him, he sprints out of the garden, following the road towards the sea. It’s pulling him closer, he can feel it, it’s like he has been given a puzzle piece that can help him solve the mystery that has been haunting his memory. But Viktor needs to be fast, last time he encountered a miracle it disappeared before he could even memorise it perfectly. He doesn’t want it to be similar this time.

His breathing is heavy when he finally reaches the beach where he faced his saviour, for a second he is afraid that he has been too late again. But he is still there, the source of the voice, the boy who saved him. His white skin is covered with a deep-blue cloak that matches his eyes, and he has slicked his dark hair black. A strange glow is surrounding him, making him seem divine, like he’s out of this world. Viktor’s heart skips a beat when the boy turns to him and gives a confident smile. Never in his life has he heard sweeter words:

“Finally you found me, my love.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments & kudos are appreciated! <3


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Yeah, I know it’s unbelievable, but hear me out! There’s a wild rumour going on in the town, claiming that none other than your emperor has finally found a fiancé and will hold a wedding ceremony at sea tonight! I found out that one of Viktor’s servants proved the rumour to be true!” Phichit tells him, his voice raising the further he goes on explaining the details to Yuuri. Dumbstruck, it takes a moment for him to realize he has been pulled into a tight hug. “You did it, my boy, can you believe it? You’re going to become the husband of the emperor of Russia and you will keep your legs and be happy forever! Isn’t that nice?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so only one chapter left after this one - can you believe it? I'm already feeling eager to leave this project behind and move onto a new one - but let's talk about that a bit more in the final chapter. I'll try to update in two weeks, since I have some school stuff I need to take care of. 
> 
> I thought I'd mention that there's a brief scene in this chapter where Yuuri has a panic attack. It's not very descriptive, but just a heads up for those who are uncomfortable with things like that!
> 
> Otherwise, enjoy reading! This fic is still beta'd by [Spigu](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Spigu). :D
> 
> Oh, and thank you everyone who has left kudos & comments. You're the best! <3

In the velvet mist of a desolate space, a voice keeps calling for him. Yuuri doesn’t want to respond to it in any way, so warm and tight has the dream wrapped itself around him, he doesn’t want to leave its comfort just yet. Sleeping, though a bit embarrassing to admit, has always been one of Yuuri’s favourite pastime activities. It gives him a chance to leave the troubles of the real world behind for a moment, lets him concentrate on nothing but relaxing in the nothingness. Still, there’s always someone who wants to pull him out of the lovely nest. This time, the intruder shares his voice with his best friend.

“Yuuri, wake up! It’s already half past nine!”

_Go away._

Yuuri opens his mouth in displeasure, remembering too late that he has no way of voicing his opinion about his way too early wake-up. Annoyed, he turns his back to Phichit and tries to bury himself under the covers. If he tries hard enough, he might still be able to fall back asleep. Phichit, however, doesn’t give up. Much to Yuuri’s dismay, he is now gripping his shoulder.

“Yuuri, seriously, wake up! This is really important!” Phichit demands in a voice that couldn’t cause any more irritation.

_If you wanted to tell me the world would end in 30 minutes, I couldn’t care less. Go away._

“For crying out loud, Yuuri, now’s not time to be disobedient!” Phichit huffs. “The groom-to-be needs to get ready for his big day!”

The words make Yuuri’s eyes fly open in a fraction of a second, confusedly he turns to Phichit, demanding further explanation. ‘The groom-to-be’, he has no idea what his friend meant by that. There hasn’t been any talk with Viktor about the subject, Yuuri didn’t even see him last night after arriving back to the mansion after their boat trip gone wrong. For a moment, he starts to suspect that Phichit made that up and tries to return to his earlier position, but his friend keeps holding him steady, refusing to let Yuuri go back to sleep now that he has finally caught his attention. And when observing the look on Phichit’s face, Yuuri cannot spot any signs of a lie.

“Yeah, I know it’s unbelievable, but hear me out! There’s a wild rumour going on in the town, claiming that none other than your emperor has finally found a fiancé and will hold a wedding ceremony at sea tonight! I found out that one of Viktor’s servants proved the rumour to be true!” Phichit tells him, his voice raising the further he goes on explaining the details to Yuuri. Dumbstruck, it takes a moment for him to realize he has been pulled into a tight hug. “You did it, my boy, can you believe it? You’re going to become the husband of the emperor of Russia and you will keep your legs and be happy forever! Isn’t that nice?”

Yuuri tries to process the thought rationally, but fails completely, for his heart is feeling so happy it could burst. Resisting the urge to cry, he clings harder to Phichit, his body shaking slightly in all those forms of love he feels right now. Phichit is right, he did it, he managed to gain Viktor’s love. Even anxiety, waiting patiently behind its narrow bars to strike to ruin his happiness at the worst possible moment, stays quiet this time, even it can’t find any way to deny the truth. There’s no other explanation, Viktor did fall for him, the fact he was leaning in for a kiss last night proves it. The only thing Yuuri questions is why his beloved didn’t say a word to him about the wedding – it’s a bit frustrating that the whole Vladivostok got to know about his marriage before him. But then Yuuri understands, Viktor wanted to surprise him, what a silly man he is. He needs to try his best not to ruin the revelation. But he wants to see Viktor immediately.

Phichit seems to notice his impatience, for his friend pulls away from the hug. “Go and see your husband, and you better give him a kiss right away,” Phichit tells him, an encouraging smile on his lips. “I’ll watch the wedding from the sky, see you later!”

Yuuri nods and pushes the covers away, sprinting to the door of his room despite being in his loan pyjamas. His mind tries to remark that Yakov will probably be angry with him if he shows up looking like this, but right now, Yuuri couldn’t care less. He runs to the stairs, heart throbbing with excitement, thoughts trying to figure out what to say to Viktor first when he gets his voice back.

_‘I’ve loved you ever since I was little’… no, that’s a bit creepy, he would think I’m a stalker of sorts. How about ‘I was the one who saved you back then’? Better, but not a great start… Maybe I should tell him I’m a merman who was under a curse and couldn’t talk for that reason… Okay, maybe that goes too quickly to the point; I wouldn’t want to hear that first, either. Maybe I’ll just call his name, yes, that will do! Then I can answer any question he has!_

Familiar voices catch his attention. Yakov is talking to Viktor in the study, for some reason in English. Taking a deep breath, Yuuri slows his steps to observe the situation first before rushing inside and interrupting an important moment. The door is slightly open, just enough to let Yuuri peek inside without making a scene. He heard right, Viktor and Yakov are both there, but there’s also a third person, someone Yuuri hasn’t seen before. An unfamiliar man is standing on Viktor’s left, tall in height, almost as tall as Viktor, and dressed in a blue outfit that looks similar to the one his beloved is wearing. His features are quite sharp, but he is very handsome and confident-looking. However, there’s something really off about him. He is holding Viktor’s hand like he was his lover.

Yuuri feels something cold grab his heart.

“So,” Yakov coughs, “I must say this came to me as a surprise, but if you have decided to marry this ‘Jean’, I have nothing against it.”

Reflexively, Yuuri covers his mouth with his hands, though no sound could come out nevertheless. He shakes his head, trying to tell himself he is still asleep, a thing like this couldn’t happen outside nightmares. But no matter how hard he pinches himself, the picture doesn’t fall apart. Yuuri is still in the hallway, his body heavy as if it was turning into stone.

“But there’s one confirmation I need from you. What are we going to do about the Beach Boy?”

Yuuri shoots a desperate glance at Viktor, praying he will come to his senses and tell Yakov this was all just a very bad joke. Viktor frowns at the words, looking confused like he has no idea what his counsellor is talking about. Yuuri feels his heart shatter to pieces when his beloved opens his mouth:

“Oh, the Beach Boy. I don’t really care as long as he has left before we head for the ceremony.”

Yuuri doesn’t stay to wait for Yakov’s response, he simply can’t bear. Tears burn his eyes when he runs back to the stairs, every new step straining his body more. Yuuri doesn’t register how hard he smashes the door closed, but the noise echoes in his ears when he falls to his feet, back pressed against the cold skin of the wooden door. He pulls his legs tightly against his body before pressing his face against his knees, his whole body shaking in uncontrollable crying. He doesn’t understand, Viktor seemed to like him back: he held his hand many times, kissed them twice, danced with him, was about to accept the kiss he initiated. Yuuri made his feelings clear last night when in the open, too, how could he have read Viktor so wrong? But it was all for show, Yuuri was just a plaything to him, something he could throw away when he grew bored with it – he didn’t even bother calling Yuuri by his real name. It makes him feel sick to his stomach.

There’s a cautious knock on the door, Yuuri didn’t even hear someone coming. He doesn’t bother rising his gaze when he hears Georgi’s voice from the hall.

“Beach Boy, please, let us in.”

Yuuri doesn’t move an inch.

Now he hears Mila talk. “Beach Boy, we’re so sorry, we don’t understand what happened, either. Vitya seemed so happy with you, we really wanted him to marry you!”

The cold grip is there again, squeezing what is left of his heart. Pain makes him cry harder.

“Mila, I don’t think that really helps…”

“What do you mean it doesn’t, Georgi? Vitya is a huge idiot, he is about to make the worst decision of his life!”

“Even though you disagree with him, you can’t call his majesty an idiot.”

“You know what, Georgi, I don’t really care about etiquette right now,” Mila snaps before returning to the desperate, persuading tone. “Please, Beach Boy, talk to us…”

There’s an awkward moment of silence, apparently Mila realized the mistake she just made. A sudden burst of anger rises from somewhere deep inside Yuuri’s body, causing him to slam his fist against the door, telling the pair to leave him alone. That must be the reason, the lack of his voice, there’s no way Viktor would ever love a man who can’t even speak a single word to him. Yuuri should never have signed the contract with the Sea Wizard, he was so stupid when he believed he would have a chance with Viktor. Right now, Yuuri hates himself more than him.

Georgi murmurs something to Mila in Russian and their voices become more distant before Yuuri can’t hear them at all anymore. Anxiety has started to whisper its poisonous words to his ears and his breathing grows more erratic, his body becomes colder. He feels horrible, more lost than ever before, for no one is here to comfort him, no one is coming to help him. Yuuri wraps his arms clumsily around himself, but the touch doesn’t solace him a bit. A silent whimper escapes from his lips, a desperate call that will be left unheard. If this continues like this, he is going to die here alone, on the floor of Viktor’s guest room.

_You’re not going to die, little brother. I know you feel scared right now and it’s okay to feel that way. But you will make it through this._

Yuuri raises his gaze and even though the room seems a little blurry in his eyes, there’s no one else in here. But the moment he closes his eyes, he can see the figure of his late older sister. Mari has faced situations like this many times, she has seen him at his worst. Yuuri can feel a ghost of a touch in his hair, Mari would caress it when he was breaking down, a silent gesture of love she felt for him. He would give his all to be able to hug her right now.

_Now, little brother, you need to concentrate on your breathing, okay? I’ll start counting, try to match the pace. Okay, here we go. Ten… nine… eight…_

Yuuri keeps his eyes closed as he concentrates on breathing, it takes him a while to adjust to the rhythm, but little by little, it gets better. When he has reached one, he starts counting down from the beginning again.

_That’s it, you’re doing so well, little brother. I’m so proud of you._

One single drop rolls to Yuuri’s cheek when his hand still can grip nothing but air.

_Take your time, little brother. When you’re ready, you’ll leave this place. Go to the beach, you’ll be safe there. Don’t be afraid of getting out of the room. Your big sister will protect you._

Yuuri doesn’t know how long he sat against the door, but when he rises carefully to his feet, his breathing is much calmer than before. His body feels quite numb, but he knows he shouldn’t worry about it right now. It’s more important to focus on the moment and his task: getting out of the mansion, preferably unnoticed. Yuuri’s body works on autopilot when he slips into the clothes that were waiting for him on the stool. Viktor wouldn’t miss one shirt and trousers, nor a pair of simple black shoes. Besides, his fiancé is taller than Yuuri, so he is sure his loan clothes wouldn’t be offered to him, either.

_But now, out._

Yuuri presses his ear against the door, the hall is silent, all clear. He cracks the door slightly and peeks outside, still no one. Yuuri takes one deep breath before stepping out, he will make it. He doesn’t turn to look behind a single time on his way to the beach.

 

 

***

Not even once in his life has Phichit regretted being a shapeshifter. Skies have always attracted him, being associated freedom in his mind. Ever since little, he has wanted to feel the cool wind caress his body, feel superior to ordinary dwellers who can only dream about rising closer to the clouds. Relying on his wings like this makes Phichit happier than anything.

His mind wanders to Yuuri’s task, more specifically on its success. Phichit knows the task wasn’t as easy as it could have been and lots of obstacles were piled up to block Yuuri’s path. But they managed to clear it together, nevertheless, and tonight Yuuri will be wed as one of the most beautiful grooms on earth. Phichit feels a bit disappointed about the fact that he cannot take part in the ceremony; it would be the end of his personal mission in the Russian Empire and it would also be quite awkward for him to suddenly show up, introducing himself as Yuuri’s friend. So he needs to settle for watching the wedding from afar, disguised as an ordinary seagull that won’t draw any attention from the guests. Despite it being against Phichit’s wishes, he accepts it obediently. The most important thing is that Yuuri knows he will always be there to support him.

The ship has always left the harbour, heading further to the bay. Phichit flies closer to it, wishing to catch a glimpse of the merman-turned-human groom before the beginning of the ceremony. He chuckles to himself when thinking how nervous Yuuri must be feeling right now, happiness doesn’t always equal calmness. If there’s anything Phichit could do before the wedding, it’s to take care of Yuuri’s nerves. He draws cautiously closer to an open window, located on the back of the ship, when he hears Yuuri’s voice inside:

“This was easier than I thought.”

_Oh my, apparently I worried for nothing. Yuuri has got some big boost of confidence there!_

Hearing Yuuri talk means he must have received a kiss from his beloved and broken the curse already; his boy has been very fast. Excitedly, Phichit flies closer to the window, ready to catch his friend’s attention:

“Yuu-“

To Phichit’s horror, the person inside the cabin isn’t Yuuri but a man he has never encountered before – which, to be honest, is pretty weird, for Vladivostok isn’t a very large town and Phichit has some sort of an idea of every citizen of the place. There’s something similar to Yuuri in the man’s features, at least when it comes to the raven locks, but the longer he observes, the more differences Phichit finds. He looks Caucasian and though his lips are curled upwards, warmth cannot be found in his eyes. The man turns around in front of his mirror to check how his black suit fits. In the motion, Phichit manages to notice something golden, glowing.

“Really, why didn’t I come up with this earlier,” the man muses out loud, fingering a shell-shaped necklace that lies against his chest. “Ah, now the heartbroken prince will give me anything I ask for, Isabella must be so proud of me right now! Can you hear me, my love, I won it all, I’m unstoppable! Soon the seas will bow to their new king!”

Phichit doesn’t stay to wait for more; his mind has already connected the dots, creating a clear picture of what has happened. He prays the winds will be on his side, he has no time to waste for sunset is drawing closer by the minute.

 

 

***

Crying has always had an unpleasant impact on Yuuri; even when he has run out of tears, the horrible feelings continue to torment his body. Exhaustion is the first symptom, something that strikes regardless of the hours he has spent in bed the night before. It makes his body heavy and hard to move around, robs of every seed of willpower he had left. It works as a pre stage to a massive headache that wants to tear Yuuri’s skull apart and leaves an empty feeling in his stomach. And naturally, the thoughts of self-hatred won’t disappear just as quickly as the last signs of tears. In the end, crying doesn’t really solve anything.

Despite the lack of his voice, Yuri and Otabek were able to understand everything. It didn’t require any special skills, a quick observation was quite enough. They could see it from Yuuri’s swollen face and withdrawn position, from the fact he was alone on the beach and not preparing for the wedding like Phichit had told them. Yuuri had lost his sense of time ages ago and wasn’t sure at which point the guards came to him, but the time they have spent here, no words have been exchanged, none of them are good at speaking anyway. But naturally, Yuri and Otabek’s presence has affected the atmosphere, made the invisible rain clouds above them even gloomier and heavier. Yuri is the first one to become irritated of their weight and opens his mouth, announcing the words clearly and quietly:

“I’m going to wreck the ship.”

Yuuri raises his gaze and shakes his head furiously; even though Viktor doesn’t return his feelings, he doesn’t want him to get drowned. On the contrary, if anything bad happens to him, it will break what’s left of Yuuri. Yuri, however, doesn’t seem to understand this, at least judging from his death-glare. It didn’t take long for him to lose the control of his filter:

“Don’t you dare defend him, manatee! That asshole broke your heart and he’s gonna pay for it!”

“Yura, I don’t think his highness wants you to do it,” Otabek says tiredly, apparently he has a tolerance for Yuri’s outbursts, too. “Sometimes… love just doesn’t work the way we want it to.”

Yuuri shivers at the words, they managed to cut him deep, though he knows Otabek is telling the truth. Yuri shoots a furious glance now at his fellow guard.

“What the fuck, Beka, and people are telling _me_ to be more considerate?!” he spits, his movements aggressive as if he wanted to rip somebody apart. “Look, I don’t care what you think you know about love and shit, but what I know is that the emperor acted like a fucking douche! You just don’t do that to people, you don’t!”

Yuri’s words quickly lose their power, a bit exhaustedly the guard falls back on his tail, his eyes unwilling to meet anyone else’s gaze. Biting his lower lip, Yuuri turns his attention to Otabek, trying to apologise on behalf of Yuri. Otabek seems to understand the attempt as he accepts the apology with a silent head shake.

“Yuri is right, your highness, I should have been more considerate, I can see you are not feeling well,” Otabek exhales, ignoring Yuuri’s embarrassed gestures. “So, what shall we do now? The sunset is drawing closer and I don’t want the Sea Wizard to have you.”

“Me neither,” Yuri hisses, “I’ll beat that slimy fucker up if he tries to touch you, manatee!”

“But the Sea Wizard is very powerful,” Otabek points out, “we both know it, Yura. Could we try to negotiate once more? I could switch places with you, your highness, it’s our duty to protect the royal family with all we have.”

“Me too – and feed that asshole to sharks afterwards!”

Yuuri shakes his head furiously, he will not allow anyone to go that far – he is the one who got into the mess, so he needs to pay the price, as well.

“You’re not really helping us here, manatee!” Yuri shouts angrily. “Our time is running out and we need a goddamn plan! Got any fine suggestions, maybe pray that heavens will hear our plea and drop a fucking angel to help us out, huh?!”

On the same heartbeat, they hear someone shout Yuuri’s name and rise their gazes confusedly to the sky. Phichit lands to the beach next to Yuuri, turning back into his human form before they can even realize it.

“Yuuri, thank god I found you! Listen, there’s something bad going on!”

“Well observed,” Yuri says dryly, “that stupid emperor abandoned our prince for some random shithead and now we’re all screwed.”

“That’s exactly the point!” Phichit snaps. “Yuuri, I was flying to the ship to check up on you and you never guess what I found out – that ‘random shithead’ has your voice! He had a really weird, shell-looking pendant and he muttered something about making some ‘Isabella’ proud and becoming the king of the seas!”

Yuuri feels every drop of warmth disappear from his cheeks, the person has to be the Sea Wizard. He wonders how he didn’t even think about that opportunity before, but the man he saw on the mansion had shaped his features into something unrecognizable and Yuuri never heard him speak, either. Now he also remembers that merfolk can use their alluring voices for more than just entertaining each other; Yuuri has heard stories where people like him have enchanted humans with their singing in order to drown them. The mystery has received its final clue, most crucial of them all. It lets his shattered heart feel a bit of hope.

“What the hell, I thought the Sea Wizard was only into his fiancée,” Yuri says, scandalized.

“I doubt he thinks of the emperor that way,” Otabek says, “he just wants our prince to fail at his task and is willing to do anything to prevent him from winning.”

“That’s fucking cheating! I’m gonna kill that bastard if the sharks don’t manage to get him before!” Yuri yells and turns his eyes to the sea, searching for the ship. “We don’t have much time, but we’re gonna fight back, he hasn’t won yet! Beka, go find the regent and tell her what’s going on and send everyone you encounter to the surface – we need everyone’s help to stop the wedding from happening. Birdman, can you gather actual birds and tell them to cause as much chaos as possible? I’ll take the manatee to the ship by myself.”

Otabek and Phichit agree on the plan before disappearing their ways, one below the surface and the other to the sky. Yuuri takes of his shoes and socks before walking to the sea to Yuri. He lets out a silent hiss when he feels his clothes glue on his body, sticky from the water. They make moving more difficult, but Yuuri knows he needs to keep them on; he is not climbing on the deck naked. First time in his life he feels vulnerable in the water, for his feet can’t reach the bottom of the sea, so far below him, and for he knows changing the air to water won’t fill his lungs with oxygen. But Yuri doesn’t let him sink under the surface, one arm around him the guard drags him forward, much more slowly compared to swimming alone, yet fast enough to get closer to the ship. Yuuri tries his best to help out, his legs hurt already from kicking the water, but he doesn’t stop because Viktor and his new friends are on the deck with the Sea Wizard. Even if Viktor still doesn’t love him back, Yuuri needs to save him. Otherwise he would never forgive himself.

“I’ll get you there, manatee,” Yuri hisses between his teeth. His quickened breathing tells the swimming is starting to wear him out, but he doesn’t stop, either. “I’ll get you there if it’s the last thing I do!”

 

 

***

Viktor has always liked white suits, he associates the colour with the tall snow banks he can see from his bedroom in his home palace on clear winter mornings, sparkling in the rays of the shy winter sun. Today, he has a very special reason to wear the colour of snow and purity. After all, he is getting married to the person he loves, his life saviour, the boy with a beautiful voice.

It was a bit difficult to arrange everything so quickly, but Viktor didn’t want to waste any time, nor did his beloved Jean. He needs to thank his servants later, for they managed to gather the most important people to the ceremony and cook a fine feast for everyone despite the lack of time. Viktor was a little worried that it wouldn’t be enough to satisfy his fiancé, but Jean rewarded him with a loving smile that was almost enough to make him fall for him again. Grinning to himself, Viktor checks his appearance in the mirror of his cabin for the millionth time. He meets his counsellor’s eyes through the mirror; Yakov isn’t looking exactly delighted despite Viktor having actually obeyed his demand this time.

“Why so serious, Yakov, shouldn’t you be smiling, for I’m finally making your wish come true by getting married?” Viktor asks lightly, he has noticed that for some reason his court doesn’t seem to appreciate the fiancé he has chosen. Yakov has always been a bit aloof with everyone, wanting respect from people younger than him and thus warming slowly up for new people, but this time, he is not the only one. Georgi, being very aware of social norms, excused himself rather quickly after being introduced to Jean and even Mila, whose extroversion leads her to be very chatty with other people, left the scene immediately after him. Still, Makkachin was the one Viktor expected to behave badly the least, his pet can almost be overly affectionate around people. Jean, though, was greeted with nothing but angry growls, and Viktor forced his dog to wear a collar and leash as a punishment.

Yakov doesn’t even try to force a smile on his face. “I’m just worried that history will repeat itself, your majesty. Last time we were on the sea, the storm nearly destroyed our ship and you almost died. We really don’t have extra ships or emperors to waste.”

“You worry too much, Yakov,” Viktor says. “Did you look at the sky – the sailors said there is no sign of a storm. Besides, Jean loves the sea and I wanted to make my fiancé happy by holding the ceremony at sea.”

“Whatever you say, your majesty,” Yakov says. “Now, shall we?”

Viktor nods and his counsellor opens the door for him. As they step on the deck, they are greeted with the last rays of the evening sun and applause from the guests present (except for Mila, who is busy with taking care of Makkachin). A few seconds later, the door to another cabin is opened and then Jean is standing next to him, his fingers wrapped around his arm, and looking gorgeous in his black suit. Jean smiles when he praises his looks and lets Viktor escort him to the altar. Just a few words from the priest and then they will call each other husbands.

However, before they approach the end of the ceremony, something weird starts to happen. Out of nowhere, waves have started to rock the ship back and forth, not in a way that would somehow threaten their lives but rather their ability to keep food inside. And then the sky becomes filled with seabirds, all screeching and diving towards them, especially towards Jean. Viktor can’t do anything but watch how his fiancé tries to drive the birds away, screaming his threats to them with lots of swear words. He catches a glimpse of Mila’s grip loosening and Makkachin manages to run to freedom, heading straight to Jean. Viktor doesn’t really see what his dog does, but judging from the loud yell his fiancé lets out, Makkachin has bit him. As his beloved loses his balance, something shiny flashes in the air before hitting the deck and crushing to pieces.

A few seconds later, a soft voice fills the air, being more powerful than any voice Viktor’s ears manage to catch. His eyes grow wider when he sees a small ball of light surround a boy who was not supposed to be at the ceremony, a boy whose breathing is erratic and whose clothes are dripping wet. Still, he is the most beautiful creature Viktor has ever seen.

“Yuuri!” Viktor yells and rushes to him, not caring about the unfamiliar man who is lying on the deck, nor about the fact that they are suddenly at sea. “What happened, are you alright?”

Yuuri smiles tiredly at him and takes his hands to his own. “It’s fine, Viktor. I’m alright.”

Viktor’s mouth opens wide without his command. “You… you can talk?” he asks stupidly. Distantly, he can hear a voice he doesn’t know call his name, but he ignores it, this is more important.

Yuuri nods. “I’m so sorry. I wanted to tell you, but I couldn’t…”

Viktor doesn’t really understand what Yuuri means by that, but it doesn’t matter, instead he opens his arms as an invitation and Yuuri takes one step forward to nestle against him. He can feel Yuuri’s body shiver a bit, he must be cold, having got his clothes wet. Viktor doesn’t mind that his expensive suit is now getting wet, too, for his body feels so warm, as if it has finally found something it has been missing for a long time. He runs his fingers gently through Yuuri’s damp locks, there’s something familiar in the situation, the smell of the sea, the feeling of ultimate happiness. Spontaneously, Viktor asks if Yuuri saved him from the storm and sang to him, though his heart already knows the answer. Still, it does a happy flip when he receives an affirmative reply.

“I was afraid I couldn’t make it,” Yuuri mumbles against his shoulder, his voice sounds so small, so vulnerable. “I was so worried about you…”

“You were worried about me?” Viktor repeats, cursing internally at his inability to form reasonable sentences at the moment. Yuuri lets out a small, frustrated sound of disbelief:

“Of course I were. I love you, after all.”

The words sound muffled, but they are warm enough to tickle Viktor’s skin, strong enough to stop his heart for a second. He inhales quietly, almost frightened like he was expecting the scene to lose all its beautiful colours and turn into a dark, lonely dream. For so long he has wished someone would say those words to him, actually meaning them, and fill his body with life. Carefully, Viktor takes one step backwards, pulling slightly away from the hug but still letting his hands rest on Yuuri’s shoulders. His heart is throbbing so hard he can’t even hear his own words when murmuring them out loud:

“Say that again. Please.”

Yuuri flushes, beautifully like when they had dinner together two nights ago. Viktor can see him swallow, but at least Yuuri is not turning his eyes away. The look on his face is so sincere that no lie could have planted its seeds under his skin. “I love you. Never have I loved anyone like you.”

The words are enough, he has received his final confirmation. Viktor is sure he is smiling like an idiot when he raises his hand to touch Yuuri’s face, trying to fight back tears that aren’t born of sorrow. “I love you too, Yuuri.”

Yuuri’s face lights up like he has received the greatest gift he had been dreaming of for so long. A bit nervously he leans forward, his gaze focused on Viktor’s lips. Viktor grins to himself, knowing Yakov will get mad at him for acting like this in public, but decides the taste will be worth it nevertheless. Last time, they were interrupted in such a crucial moment and he doesn’t want that to happen again.

Before their lips touch, Yuuri lets out a sudden scream and falls on the deck, his body twitching like in pain. A quickened flood of words escape from his lips in his mother tongue, incomprehensible to Viktor. But the fear is evident, he can see it from the way Yuuri grabs his legs, from the first tears that are ready to roll onto his cheeks. Viktor can’t let him suffer like that.

“Is there a doctor on board?” he shouts in Russian before turning back to Yuuri, trying to remain as calm as possible so that Yuuri won’t get any more scared. “It’s alright, my love, the doctor will take a look at you. You’ll be fine, trust me…”

Before Viktor can finish his words, something weird happens to Yuuri. The fabric of his trousers is ripped as his legs transform into a tail right in front of Viktor’s eyes. Reflexively, he takes a step back, his eyes must be fooling him right now. But no matter how many times he blinks, the tail isn’t going away. It’s like in one of his childhood fantasies, he is finally meeting an actual merperson. But there’s something wrong with the picture; the merman is trembling, his eyes scanning the crowd in a panicked manner. Viktor tries to reach out for him to calm him down, tell him he doesn’t mind even though he is not a human, tell him he doesn’t love him any less. However, somebody stops his motion with triumphant and mocking words, a man in black has appeared at Yuuri’s side:

“Ah, that’s too bad, my prince, your time is up and you didn’t manage to get your happy ending. It seems you lost the bet, how unfortunate to you! Say bye-bye to your pretty human emperor now, we’re going home!”

Viktor doesn’t even manage to react to the words in time and on the next breath, he watches how the man disappears below the surface with the one he has ever loved.

 

 

***

Water squeezes Yuuri’s body from every angle, making it impossible for him to escape from its grip and head back to the surface. He turns his head to the Sea Wizard who keeps dragging him deeper into the sea, his expression so smug it wipes away every drop of fear in his heart and replaces them with growing bits of anger.

“How dare you, you cheated! I would have won the bet, you had no right to interfere!”

The Sea Wizard just chuckles at his defiance. “Too bad you’re not happy with our deal, my prince,” he says in a way that doesn’t sound sincere at all. “However, there was no word that would have prevented me from trying to ruin your task. You should have read the contract better.”

Yuuri opens his mouth to object, but something sharp cuts the skin of his throat, causing him to whimper in pain instead. “You’ll want to stay quiet for a little longer,” the Sea Wizard says lightly. “I have some urgent business with your dear old regent, you see.”

_Minako-san? What does he want from her?_

Yuuri doesn’t need to wait long for the answer. The moment they reach the bottom of the sea, they are greeted with spears and knives, Yuri and Otabek are in the frontline to threaten the Sea Wizard. Behind the guards, Yuuri can see Minako with his dear childhood friend Yuuko. Yuuri has never seen Minako so pale, it’s as if she has encountered one of those sea monsters that became extinct thousands of years ago. There is no sign of confidence in her voice when she whispers her question out loud:

“Jean?”

“It’s _Jean-Jacques_ , you really forgot my name, didn’t you?” The Sea Wizard replies, his nails pressing deeper into Yuuri’s skin, making him shiver in pain. “I shouldn’t even be surprised, though, it was so easy for you to forget everything about me!”

“Please, Jean-Jacques, calm down so that we can discuss this in a reasonable manner.”

“Calm down? Oh, that’s what you’ve always been saying to me, yet you have never actually listened to what I have to say! You’re such a cold-hearted woman, Minako, you never cared about anyone but yourself! Have you forgotten what happened to my parents, the king and queen of the Arctic Ocean, the great sea that once was an actual ally of this pathetic pond of yours? Of course you have, you had time to weep only for your royal family when there were also others who passed away when returning from the Yellow Sea! Not a single word of condolence from you!”

Yuuri’s heart skips a beat, he never knew, he always thought his family was the only one who got killed in the tragedy. Desperately, he tries to find signs of a lie on Minako’s face, something that could undo the Sea Wizard’s words. But as Minako swallows and lowers her gaze, Yuuri knows the Sea Wizard was telling the truth this time.

“I…I was so shocked, I couldn’t think straight,” Minako whispers to the sand under her tail. “I had to take care of Yuuri, he was so young, I couldn’t think of anything else.”

“I was young too, younger that this wimp!” The Sea Wizard yells, now grabbing Yuuri’s throat with one hand. “And my brother and sister were even younger, just babies! That wouldn’t have taken much energy from you, now would it have? But that’s fine, everyone makes mistakes, I gave you another chance to apologize, two years ago, remember? Our kingdoms hadn’t really interacted after the accident, but I came to you, wanting to redeem our alliance. I had only one condition, to wipe away every ship that dares to float on this sea, to take revenge on the humans for their actions. But again, you turned me down, claimed the late king and queen would never have wanted you to do such a thing! Despite hating humans so much, you were still too damn pathetic to actually act on it!”

It takes a while for Minako to gather herself; Yuuri can see how much she is hurting right now and even though he can understand why the Sea Wizard is mad at her, it feels horrible to see his godmother like this. “I have wronged you, my prince,” Minako begins, pleading, “and if I could turn back time, I would do it so that this would never have happened. I’m sorry for the pain I caused you. But I beg you, Yuuri has nothing to do with this. Please, let my godchild go.”

“How sweet, I’ll give you an A for effort,” the Sea Wizard says mockingly and Yuuri can feel the sharp pain disappear from his throat, even though the man is still squeezing it. “But it’s too late, you should have apologized years ago. You’re also wrong about this little prince here, he and I happen to be very close acquaintances. The guards must have told you about the contract, no? Isabella, my love, please show it to her!”

“That’s true,” Isabella says, Yuuri doesn’t know when she showed up. She holds the same stone tablet Yuuri signed earlier. “As you can see, madam, the crown prince has promised to leave you behind if he happens to fail at his task.”

Yuuri can see Minako’s heart break. Fighting back tears, he mouths her a pathetic apology, a pathetic attempt to deny Isabella’s words, tell her he didn’t mean it that way. But Minako isn’t meeting his eyes. In a colourless voice she asks if the contract could be changed, if the Sea Wizard would accept her to change places with Yuuri. To Yuuri’s horror, the Sea Wizard accepts the offer.

“Don’t do it, Minako-san! It was my fault, I need to take care of it myself!” Yuuri pleads, when Minako, ignoring the warnings of the guards, swims to the Sea Wizard, holding her trident so tightly her knuckles have become white. The regent gives him a melancholic look in return.

“Don’t be silly, Yuuri, I don’t have another choice. I have already lost your parents and older sister, I couldn’t take it if I lost you, too.”

Before anyone can stop her, Minako hands the trident to the Sea Wizard. The latter smirks triumphantly to himself and pushes Yuuri away, the pressure of the water releasing him from its grip. Yuri and Otabek rush to him and drag him further from the scene, for the Sea Wizard has raised the trident and now shoots a spell towards Minako. Horrified, they all have to witness the regent losing every feature of a mermaid and turning into a polyp.

“The new era has begun,” the Sea Wizard exclaims. “Soon no human shall lay his feet on our waters ever again and you all shall bow to the greatest king that has ever ruled the sea, JJ!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Kudos & comments are appreciated :> Also, come say hi to me on [Tumblr](http://sophiafrederica.tumblr.com/)!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I want to go to the sea. I need to help him.”
> 
> “Vitya, don’t be stupid!” Yakov snaps at him. “What on earth do you think you could do there? You will die this time if you go to the sea, I’m sure of it!”
> 
> “I don’t care, I need to save him!” Viktor yells back. “For your information, I happen to love him! Are you really suggesting that I should just stand here and wait?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have finally reached the end of this story and I swear to god I’ll never listen to The Little Mermaid soundtrack ever again! *laughs* I feel like I should apologize for making JJ the villain in this story, but I still think he was the best one for the role, and to be honest, every fairy tale needs a good old fashioned villain, amirite? But seriously, that poor boy needs more love. Let’s hope someone will give it to him.
> 
> To your knowledge, I'm currently working on a new Viktuuri fic [A Stranger's Groom](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10887105/chapters/24194160), which is a "Married at First Sight" AU, based on the said reality television show. Please check it out, too, if you liked my writing! ;)
> 
> Before I stop blabbering, I’d like to bother everyone with expressing my gratitude. First, I want to thank my lovely beta [Spigu](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Spigu/pseuds/Spigu) who has done a wonderful job, being also able to tolerate my obsession of mermaids, royalty and fairy tales so well. And second, I want to thank each and every one of you who have stuck with me and this fic, showing your support with kudos and lovely comments. You’re the best, thank you so much! <3
> 
> Having said everything, I hope you enjoy reading the final chapter of Out of the Sea.

_”Mama, mama, you never guess what just happened!”_

_His mother raised her gaze from her book and frowned at his giddy expression; she would always react like this when being forced to leave the worlds built of different letters entwined together. “Remember your manners, Vitenka, you’re not a child anymore.”_

_Viktor ignored his mother’s soft scolding and crouched next to her chaise longue. The servants had dragged it under the leaves of a maple. His mother didn’t like to be directly in the sun, the sun would always burn her fair skin. Viktor had been luckier than her, the sun only drew new freckles on his nose during summer, leaving the rest of his skin light and making him resemble a ghost year-round. At least his mother had said_ _he made a pretty ghost._

_“I’m sorry, Mama, but I can’t calm down. It was just so… amazing.”_

_“More amazing than_ War and Peace _?”_

_Viktor nodded eagerly. “More amazing.”_

_“Very well, you caught my interest,” his mother replied, a hint of a smile twinkling in her light blue eyes. “I’m all ears.”_

_“I was on the beach today and I saw a merboy!” Viktor blurted out, unable to control himself anymore. “Or technically, it was water that had taken a form of a merboy! But I know he was there, I heard him sing!”_

_“Vitenka, have you been too long in the sun?” his mother sighed and leaned closer to touch his forehead. “Merfolk don’t exist outside fairy tales, I think you’re a bit too old to read Mr Andersen’s stories anyway. I know you’re feeling sad because we couldn’t take Makkachin here with us, but I don’t think you should lock yourself in the world of fantasies and…”_

_“I didn’t imagine anything,” Viktor interrupted her, a bit snappy, which definitely shouldn’t be allowed in the court, at least in front of Yakov’s eyes. “Mama, I saw and heard him, my eyes and ears couldn’t both be wrong!”_

_“But didn’t you just say it was water that resembled a merboy?”_

_“Yes, but I’m sure it was his doing. I think he was feeling shy because he left like that.”_

_Viktor decided not to add that the figure blew him a kiss before turning back into waves. A child should never share everything with their mother, after all. He startled a little when his mother brushed his long bangs away from his face._

_“Okay, I believe you, Vitenka – maybe our world is more magical than we know. Can you take me to the beach tomorrow? I’d like to meet this mysterious merboy of yours if he’s not feeling too shy to show up?”_

_Viktor beamed at her and wrapped his arms around her neck. “Of course I can, Mama. I hope you can see him, too!”_

***

Viktor stares at the darkened surface intensely, trying to convince himself that if he concentrates hard enough, Yuuri will come back into his sight, smiling and unharmed. But no matter how hard he tries, he doesn’t see any change in the sea. Once it has claimed something, it’s not willing to give it back.

“Vitya,” Yakov begins, more carefully than usual. He, along with Mila and Georgi, has gathered around him, eyeing him and the sea in turn. Makkachin whines quietly at his feet, Viktor pats him absent-mindedly on the head.

“So, the Beach Boy is a merman,” Mila begins in a high voice, trying to lighten the atmosphere a little, “I didn’t see that coming. I guess the sailors haven’t been making things up, after all.”

“His name is Yuuri,” Viktor corrects quietly, angry at himself for not introducing him to his court before it was too late. He can’t understand why he abandoned Yuuri in the first place and tried to marry some random person, especially because the said man took Yuuri away from him. It makes his heart ache.

“Right, Yuuri,” Mila says after a while. “Wait, when did you learn his name? And more importantly, _how_ did you learn it?”

Viktor ignores her. “I want to go to the sea. I need to help him.”

“Vitya, don’t be stupid!” Yakov snaps at him. “What on earth do you think you could do there? You will die this time if you go to the sea, I’m sure of it!”

“I don’t care, I need to save him!” Viktor yells back. “For your information, I happen to love him! Are you really suggesting that I should just stand here and wait? What if they hurt him, that man who took him away didn’t seem like a very nice person! Can he even breathe underwater, he’s been there for so long now!”

“That’s the last thing you should worry about right now.”

Viktor turns his head to the direction of the voice, unfamiliar to his ears. A short, tanned boy – maybe around Yuuri’s age or a bit younger – is walking towards them; Viktor doesn’t remember seeing him before. Judging from his simple clothes, the boy doesn’t seem to belong to the upper class, but on the other hand his aura argues against the initial thought. For some reason, there are a few white feathers on his shoulder like he had fallen from heaven itself.

“And who on earth might you be?” Yakov sighs. “One of those sea creatures, perhaps?”

The boy laughs and shakes his head. “Quite on the contrary, sir, I’m just an ordinary human like you, well almost, anyway. My name is Phichit Chulanot, I’m the 9th prince of the Kingdom of Thailand.”

“And may I ask what his highness is doing in our land?” Yakov continues suspiciously. Viktor can see how the guards on the deck have moved closer to them, waiting for the order to attack the uninvited guest. Phichit seems to have noticed that, too, but his smile never betrays him.

“That’s a long story, sir, and I don’t think this is the right time to share it,” he replies smoothly before turning to Viktor. “Your majesty, I’m a friend of Yuuri’s. I’ve been helping him while he has stayed here on the land.”

“Is Yuuri alright?” Viktor asks immediately, desperate to find some answers from his newest and most reliable source at the moment. “Who was that man, why did he take Yuuri away? Can Yuuri breathe underwater?”

“Of course he can, he is a merman, after all, sir,” Phichit answers. “That man who took him back to the sea is apparently someone who the merfolk call ‘the Sea Wizard’; Yuuri traded his voice for legs so that he could come to the land and spend time with you. He has been in love with your majesty for years.”

“That’s so romantic,” Georgi snuffles and tries to find a handkerchief in his breast pocket. “The love story of a century.”

“Yes,” Phichit muses, “but there was a time limit – had Yuuri wanted to stay a human, he should have managed to receive a kiss from you, sir, before the sunset that is. But since he failed at it, the Sea Wizard took him back to the sea.”

“Well done, Vitya,” Mila groans, “how did _you_ mess up like this?”

“It’s not your fault, your majesty,” Phichit hurries, having seen the warning look on Yakov’s face. “I’m quite sure the Sea Wizard put a spell on you so that you’d ignore Yuuri and he’d lose the bet. I mean, men like the Sea Wizard don’t seem to be your type, if I dare say so, sir.”

“Of course not,” Viktor says, cringing internally at the thought of almost marrying a man like that. “But what about Yuuri? What is this Sea Wizard going to do to him?”

Phichit bites his lower lip, this is the first time during their conversation he has actually looked worried. “I wish I could answer that question, sir, but I know just as little as you do. I hope things will work out somehow; Yuuri isn’t alone down there and I’m sure his friends will give their all to help their prince out. But in the meantime, sir, I think you should worry a little about your own safety – and that of your people as well. Just look at the sky.”

Viktor’s eyes widen as he turns to the horizon, its every sign of warmth and sunlight lost and replaced with darkness. Immediately, he remembers the night when they celebrated the first five years of his reign, back then a storm struck out of nowhere, too. He is finally starting to understand how the sailors mistook the weather conditions that badly.

“And I told you not to have the ceremony at sea,” Yakov growls. “If we all die tonight, I’ll definitely kill you, Vitya.”

 

 

***

When Yuuri was younger, Minako always seemed like an invincible and fearless person to him. She would always drive away the deep-sea creatures that visited Yuuri’s mind in the darkest hours and left him in terror, while her songs always guided him back to peaceful dreams. She taught him to dance, found beauty even in his clumsiest moments, always remembered to praise him. She held him in her arms when his family passed away, wiped his tears and promised to take care of him like Yuuri was her own child. As Yuuri grew older, the idolization wore off a little, mostly because of their colliding world views, but he never thought anybody could beat Minako, the strongest magic wielder he knew. That’s why it probably felt so horrible to hold her vulnerable polyp form in his hands and try to apologize to her with pathetic, tearful words.

Yuuko gets down on the sand next to Yuuri and wraps her arms around him. “Don’t blame yourself, Yuuri. I’m sure Minako doesn’t blame you, either, even though she can’t answer you right now.”

“But Yuu-chan, how could I not blame myself?” Yuuri whispers. “Everything is ruined because of me! None of this would have happened if I hadn’t made the contract with the Sea Wizard! I was so stupid and selfish I can’t even stand myself!”

“Yes you were,” Yuuko says softly, “but you know, everyone is a bit stupid and selfish sometimes, especially when it comes to love. If I had been in your shoes, I would have done the same and ended up in a mess, too.”

“Mrs Nishigori is right,” Otabek says, “besides, the Sea Wizard had apparently planned his revenge for a long time, so this would probably have happened at some point anyway.”

“And let’s not forget that fucker didn’t play fair when you signed the contract,” Yuri reminds him, “so stop whining, manatee, and let’s concentrate on the moment. The Sea Wizard is raging near the surface and I don’t wanna know what he plans to do next!”

Yuuri’s mind starts to replay the discussion they had earlier with the Sea Wizard and slowly, the realization hits him in the face, robbing colours from his skin. “H-he’s going to wreck the ship. We need to do something, we can’t let those people drown!”

“You’re right, your highness, but the possibility of defeating him isn’t very high,” Otabek says. “Even if we all worked together, he still holds the advantage towards us for having the trident. None of us holds such grand magical capabilities that could surpass his powers.”

“But there has to be something we can do!” Yuuri cries, desperately trying to keep panic locked behind its bars. He needs to be brave, the sea almost managed to take his beloved’s life before and he doesn’t want to give it another chance to succeed. The time Yuuri spent on the soil with Viktor was the happiest he had ever experienced and he doesn’t want to ruin the sweet memories. He has to find a way. Taking slow breaths, Yuuri lets himself to dive deep inside his thoughts, searching for an answer. There has to be something, something that will help, something he is capable of. And there it is, something not even well hidden, something so simple he almost passed it completely. A blue note.

“I’ll sing to them and lure them away from the storm!”

“We lure sharks to attack that shithead!”

Yuuri blinks confusedly and turns his attention to Yuri, who opened his mouth at the same time as him. “Sorry, what?”

“The sharks,” Yuri repeats snappily, as if everyone present should have guessed his plot from a single word. “Beka and I have been talking about luring sharks after that slimy Sea Wizard, now we can actually make it happen! And while he is busy with them, we get the trident and force him to surrender!”

“That sounds awfully simplified to me,” Yuuko comments doubtfully. “Can we really make it work?”

“But sometimes simple is the best,” Otabek says, “besides, Yura is a man of action, he can pull it off. If we use his highness as a bait and make the Sea Wizard believe he’s only trying to save the humans, he probably won’t remember to worry about the rest of us, at least for a while.”

“Exactly,” Yuri says proudly, “just wait, manatee, and I’ll give you that fucker’s head!”

“You’re not going to give me his head,” Yuuri states, “or anyone else’s, if you can avoid it. Our sea has faced too much death already.”

Yuri lets out an irritated noise and squints at him, becoming seemingly more annoyed because Yuuri doesn’t give in to his request this time. Finally, he mutters an answer that resembles a submission of some sort:

“Fine, whatever your highness says. But just so you know, I think the Sea Wizard doesn’t necessarily need two arms to live a tolerable life.” The guard adjusts his belt, making sure the shrunken spear will stay in place. “Manatee, you go to the surface and keep the Sea Wizard busy. Beka, go find some sharks and get them up as quickly as possible. When you come, I’ll take care of that shithead who tries to mess up with our kingdom!”

“Roger that,” Otabek says calmly, his face showing no sign of fear. “Try to be careful, Yura.”

Instead of leaving right away, the guard bends down a little, touching Yuri’s lips hastily with his own, still long enough to let crimson take over his face. Maybe the severity of the situation is the reason why Otabek doesn’t stay to wait for Yuri’s reaction and leaves him behind, dumbstruck. Yuuri, though, is quite sure the older guard wouldn’t have dared to stay even if the Sea Wizard wasn’t trying to take over the sea; even the most stern-looking people can become nervous wrecks when in love. He and Yuuko exchange a knowing look, trying their best to maintain their poker faces and failing at it miserably. It doesn’t take long for Yuri to notice it, too.

“Fuck off you two, I don’t wanna hear anything from a guy who was drooling over some ugly-ass _statue_!” the guard hisses, his cheeks still unusually red. “Stop looking so smug and do your part so that we can actually beat that fucker!”

“If this was any other situation, I’d tease him more about it,” Yuuko hums cheerfully as Yuri starts swimming up towards the surface. “But that needs to wait. Come, Yuuri, we should go, too.”

“Wait, are you really coming?” Yuuri asks worriedly. “You don’t need to get any more involved in this, Yuu-chan, I don’t want anything bad to happen to you!”

“Don’t be stupid, someone needs to make sure _you_ don’t get hurt,” Yuuko replies, winking at him. “You know I can look after both of us. Come, we don’t have time to waste.”

Yuuri nods, knowing he can’t win against her, and turns his eyes to the polyp he has been holding the whole time. He is not sure whether Minako was able to understand what was happening around her, but at least she seems calm, trusting as Yuuri pets her head carefully before putting her down on the sand.

“I’ll fix this, Minako-san, please have faith in me. I’ll make sure you don’t need to stay in that form for much longer.”

 

 

***

In Yuuri’s mind, the world above the surface hasn’t been associated with danger for years. Even though it reacts to the changes of the environment more than his home, he has never felt afraid when on the surface, for the sea has always felt like a family to him. This time, however, the situation is different. The sea doesn’t meet him with a playful and friendly attitude, this time its vibe is simply murderous.

A huge wave sweeps across him, forcing him back under the surface and making him lose all sense of direction. Distantly, Yuuri realizes something or someone is dragging him up and a few seconds later, he is facing the storm again, coughing the water out of his lungs. Another wave throws itself angrily at him, way too quickly, but someone presses him tightly against a rock, keeping him safe from not falling again. Just now, Yuuri realizes Yuuko has been holding him steady all the time.

“Are you alright?” she asks worriedly. “You didn’t hit any rocks earlier?”

“I’m fine, thank you,” Yuuri replies, forcing a look-alike of a smile on his face. “Have you seen Isabella or the Sea Wizard yet?”

“No, let’s try to climb higher.”

Slowly, they pull themselves to the top of the rock, nails dug to its rough skin so hard it hurts. Rain pushes aggressively against their faces, making it difficult to see anything. It takes a while to adjust to it and the shady figures on the sea; finally Yuuri finds what he was looking for. The Sea Wizard is sitting on a rock quite far away from him, unconcerned about the storm, and is concentrated on making a grand whirlpool in the middle of the sea. Isabella, on the other hand, has taken over another rock to Yuuri and Yuuko’s left and is singing, calling for something. Yuuri shivers when he realizes what the pair is doing: Isabella is trying to lure the ship to the whirlpool, killing everyone in the process.

“Yuuri, you’re not going to lose to her!” Yuuko shouts in his ear. “We need to get Viktor and those humans to safety! Sing, I’ll hold you steady and make sure you don’t fall!”

Yuuri closes his eyes to be able to focus better, he needs to forget the roaring sea for a while, forget the fact its scream outweighs his voice. The sea is not treating him as an ally now, in its eyes he is a betrayer, someone who tries to capture it and act as its ruler. But Yuuri knows the sea isn’t really like this, he knows it can be fickle but never cruel without a reason. He needs to make it remember it with his blue notes.

Yuuri locks his ears from anything else but his song, the one he is giving his all. It’s not a song that he can tie strictly to a certain emotion or a theme, it’s about everything the whole time, it’s about him. It’s his prayer to the gods of the sea, a wish to end everything without a single drop of blood. And most importantly, it’s his message to Viktor, a message filled with a promise of life.

_Viktor, I’m the one you love, my voice is the one you treasure. Hear me out, don’t listen to anyone else but me, turn the ship and sail back to the bay, you will be safe there. I’m not letting anyone hurt you, just follow my words, turn the ship. I love you, Viktor, I’ll come to see you when all of this is over. Turn the ship._

“Yuuri, look, it’s working!” Yuuko yells, a spot of hope grasping her tone. Yuuri opens his eyes and lets out a sound of relief, probably unheard by Yuuko because of the storm. The ship is sailing further away from them, Viktor will be alright.

Yuuko lets out a sudden scream and pulls him down, a cluster of small sparks has hit the rock just a few inches away from his head. Heart throbbing in a warning, he turns his head to the direction where the sparks came from. Isabella is glaring furiously at them, her fingertips shining silver and her voice growing louder than the storm around them:

“You’re going to regret that, little prince! I’m not going to let you ruin everything JJ worked so hard for! Say goodbye to your friend and your pathetic wish of a true love!”

Before Yuuri and Yuuko can do anything, another scream interrupts them, coming from a wholly different direction. Reflexively, they turn towards it and manage to see a salmon shark tearing at the Sea Wizard’s tail. Isabella immediately jumps in the water, now indifferent towards them, and starts swimming towards her fiancé, her body swerving a little in the waves. The Sea Wizard manages to throw the shark away with a spell directed from his free hand but then Yuri attacks him from his blind spot, forcing the trident out of his hands and pushing him into the sea.

“Didn’t see that coming, you asshole!” Yuri shouts triumphantly. The sea is starting to calm down slowly, for nobody is forcing it to rampage anymore, and Yuuri can actually hear his voice without any trouble. The guard raises the trident and aims its prongs down at the sea. “First, you fucker will _get a taste of your own medicine!”_

_Too late Yuuri realizes Yuri’s aim is a little off, not directed at the Sea Wizard in the first place but a bit behind his shoulder. Too late he opens his mouth to stop Yuri, for new rays of light have already filled the air. But the Sea Wizard wasn’t as slow as Yuuri, this is what he had seen coming. Jumping a bit to his right, he takes the shot for Isabella before disappearing from sight._

_“JJ!” Isabella screams and_ dives below the surface, aiming at the spot where the Sea Wizard was floating a few seconds earlier. Yuuri and Yuuko stare blankly at the surface, the ripples have started to grow smaller like nothing abnormal had ever happened. Finally, Yuuri manages to force his mouth open:

”W-what did you do to him? He’s not… dead, is he?”

“I don’t think so,” Yuri replies, though his voice is a bit higher than usual and he is gripping the trident so tightly that Yuuri fears he might actually break it. “C’mon, let’s go find out.”

Yuuri nods stiffly and dives below the surface after Yuri and Yuuko. Anxiety has found a new channel to his chest, with little twists it scratches his skin, preparing him for the worst. Luckily for him, for once the danger of crimson is not present. Yuuri lets out a relieved sigh when his eyes meet the tiny polyp in Isabella’s hands.

Isabella, though, doesn’t seem to be particularly happy about his fiancé’s state. Her eyes are full of tears, ready to roll down her cheeks any minute, and her lips move almost unnoticeably, keeping her words silent. When she finally notices their presence, she turns to Yuuri, pleading.

“I can’t undo the spell,” Isabella whispers, her body trembling like she was feeling cold. “Please, my prince, I beg you: return my beloved to his original form.”

“You’ve got some fucking nerve, hag!” Yuri spits. “If I remember correctly, you were just trying to murder our prince! You have no right to ask anything from him; if I had the right to decide, your shitty fiancé would stay as a polyp forever!”

Isabella starts to cry harder.

Yuuri bites his lip, unable to decide how he should feel about everything his kingdom has been through. Even though drops of anger and fear remain, he can’t help but feel sympathy for Isabella. Despite what she has done, she seems so vulnerable and humane as she weeps for her fiancé, the one she cares about most in the world. Something blocks Yuuri’s airway for a second, if he had failed, he would be in the same situation as her, crying for the loss of his beloved and fearing he wouldn’t be able to be with him again. Holding his breath, Yuuri straightens his hand towards Yuri and the boy hands the trident to him. He doesn’t need to tell the trident what he wants, the magic inside of it knows how it should act to fulfil his wish. A few heartbeats later, Isabella presses her face against the Sea Wizard’s shoulder, clings to him like she never wants to let go.

“What the hell, why did you do that, manatee?” Yuri yells. “Are you fucking kidding me, he tried to ruin our lives and now you reward him for it?!”

“I’m not rewarding anyone,” Yuuri says firmly, not looking at anyone in particular. “The Sea Wizard, no, the prince of Arctic Ocean will be punished for his actions. Despite wronged in the past, he had no right to spread chaos amongst us and try to take lives of innocent people. As the prince of our kingdom, I can’t let this go unnoticed.”

As he speaks, he twists the trident a little, just enough to let a few sparks run free and gather close to Jean-Jacques’s wrists, tying them together. Otabek and a guard whose name Yuuri doesn’t remember swim to him and pull the man out of Isabella’s arms, ignoring her tearful pleas.

“Prince Jean-Jacques will be sentenced to five years in jail…”

“That’s way too little! Manatee, what the f…”

“Yuri, be quiet!” Otabek says. “His highness is speaking.”

“…and the best of our guards shall make sure he doesn’t try to escape before that. After that, he is exiled from our kingdom till the end of his days. And as for his fiancée…”

During the speech, Jean-Jacques didn’t say a single word, but now he raises his head, his expression unfamiliar to Yuuri. In his mind, the man is tightly connected to proudness and confidence, representing those attributes almost perfectly. Maybe that’s why the exhaustion and fear, peeking behind the former’s mask, make him look so unrecognizable.

“I forced Isabella to do everything against her will, your highness. I had bewitched her; a sweet woman like her would never do the things she did.”

“JJ, darling, what are you saying?” Isabella whispers, shaking her head in disbelief. Her fiancé ignores the attempt, keeping his eyes on Yuuri.

“As you can see, your highness, a poor misguided soul. Please, let her go free.”       

Yuuri knows Jean-Jacques is lying to him, it’s too obvious he could never bewitch the one he holds dearest in the world. But Yuuri’s heart is not cold enough to deny his request, not when prayed with such sincerity. Besides, he feels he and Minako owe him something, if not what he initially wanted, then something smaller, yet something just as important.

“Guards Kita and Saito, I want you to take this woman to the northern borders of our kingdom so that she can return home,” Yuuri says, aware of not looking at Yuri’s direction since the guard would probably give him a very nasty glare. “Prince Jean-Jacques, is there anyone else you’ve been misguiding with your magic?”

“Yes, they’re all locked inside my cave. The protection spell shouldn’t be on anymore, so you can just go and fetch them,” Jean-Jacques replies, making the stories reality with two sentences. Yuuri assigns Yuri and Otabek to the task for they have visited the cave before and should be able to find it easily. Then, he sends the rest of the guards away with Isabella and Jean-Jacques, asking only Yuuko to stay. She has picked the remaining polyp up, holding it carefully in her palms. Yuuri hopes Minako won’t be angry at him for not turning her back to her real form earlier.

He shivers a little as he feels magic tickle his skin, its whispers warm and encouraging in his ears. The moment Minako gains her true form back, Yuuri tosses the trident aside and wraps his arms around her neck, murmuring muffled apologies against her shoulder. But no scolding will come, just soft hands that caress his hair, just sweet words of forgiveness and apologies in return. It takes a lot from him not to start crying when Minako tells him how proud his family would be of him right now.

 

 

***

The surface has been Minako’s enemy for so long she doesn’t even remember when she visited it the last time. The closer she has been to it, the tighter has fear crushed her heart in its grip, reminding her of her own weakness, greater than her hatred of humans. The surface has always meant danger to her: when out of the sea, merfolk are at their most vulnerable stage, unable to control the water in the same way as deep inside their nest. Still, Minako can see why Yuuri has grown so fond of the world above the surface. When the morning sun casts its first rays on them, the human world looks rather beautiful.

Minako narrows her eyes thoughtfully and observes the figure of her godchild. Yuuri has climbed on a rock and, unlike the rest of them, doesn’t bother hiding from others’ sight. He is waiting eagerly, Minako can see it from his stiffened posture, from his eyes focused on the beach. Yuuri rises a little when an animal of sorts lets out a loud bark from the beach and a coy smile takes over his entire face, making it glow. The human he loves so much has finally come to meet him.

Even though Minako doesn’t want to admit it, the human looks quite decent – at least better than the statue of him – not like one of those barbarians who want to catch them in their fishing nets and strike their harpoons through their bodies. Even from the distance, she can tell the man has no harmful intentions towards her godson. Love is all the man wants to give to Yuuri and the impossibility of it has made his smile melancholic.

Someone coughs behind her and Minako turns her head, trying to figure out which one of the trio made the attempt to start a conversation. She can’t help smiling when the guards push Yuuko a bit forward, despite their talent in battle, they are quite clumsy when words are concerned. Yuuko, on the other hand, takes a breath and lets out her first words, careful like testing the atmosphere:

“May I say something, my lady? From all of us?”

“Of course you may. Please, tell me what’s on your minds,” Minako replies, keeping up an illusion of a surprise. Deep down, she already knows what Yuuko is about to say.

“Madam, we think everyone should be able to choose the road they follow.”

“And you are suggesting that this is the road Yuuri wants to follow?”

“That’s right, my lady.”

Minako turns her gaze back to the beach, the human has now sat on the sand and keeps blabbering something to his hairy companion, gesturing excitedly at Yuuri’s direction. She can feel her smile grow wider. “And you think this man would make my godchild happy? Guards Altin and Plisetsky, you have seen him, what do you think of him?”

“To be honest, I think that human is a huge idiot, madam,” Yuri blurts out before Otabek can say anything, “and pardon me, so is his highness. But they’re idiots in love and I think they suit each other well.”

“I couldn’t say it better myself, madam.”

“Idiots in love,” Minako repeats, brushing the trident softly with her fingers. The shaft has become to feel warmer under her touch, little sparks tickling her skin. “Then I guess there’s only one problem left.”

“What, then, my lady?” Yuuko asks worriedly as though fearing Minako still won’t give in. Minako lets out a quiet laugh, she may be stubborn but she is not cruel. In the end, all she wants is for Yuuri to be happy. Even if it will break her own heart a little.

Tone raspy, eyes fluttering against tears, Minako lets her thoughts be heard: “How much I’m going to miss that sweet and stupid godchild of mine.”

The trident cuts the surface slightly, Minako grips the shaft tighter as she feels magic run through her body towards the spear. The weapon has carried a meaningful role throughout its existence, served as the symbol of power in the royal family and served as an unlimited magic supply, the greatest the sea has ever heard of. Still, even its magic has rules – most complex spells never come for free. Any spell that changes the laws of the world for good, even if focused at one single being, needs to have something in return, to keep up the balance. Minako can hear the whispers of the magic deep inside her ears, this is the last time she can use any kind of magic; a grand spell like this will drain every single drop of magic from her veins. Despite this, despite missing the days when she made waves dance around her, she doesn’t regret doing it. For Yuuri, Minako is ready to give everything she has.

Yuuri has noticed the blue light that weaves on his tail and turns his gaze at her, mouthing a silent thank you. Minako shakes her head and gestures at the beach in an encouraging manner, the quicker his godchild leaves her, the easier it will be for her aching heart. Still, she cannot help smiling when Yuuri dives into the water and swims to the beach, not very smoothly she can see, but feet aren’t made for swimming, so she will let it pass. Minako thanks herself for spending some energy on making Yuuri proper clothes, otherwise it could have been a bit awkward for the human emperor to lift him up, bodies pressed against each other.

Minako startles a little when someone lays their hand on her shoulder, Yuuko is sobbing quietly next to her. “Thank you, my lady. Thank you so much.”

“You shouldn’t thank me,” Minako replies. “I should be the one thanking you – and not only you, Yuuko, but all three of you. You made me realize how wrong I was about Yuuri; I would have made his life miserable if I had forced him to stay in the sea.”

“Actually, I just realized we have another problem,” Yuri says suddenly, “the mana… I mean, his highness was the only heir to the throne. Who is gonna rule the sea now?”

“Hmm, I wonder,” Minako says and stretches her arms before turning to face the guards, “I’m sure I will _not_ be the one, I have sat on the throne for long enough and think the kingdom needs some fresh air. Maybe we should let the people decide who the next ruler shall be: people who are willing to claim the throne can run for king or queen and everyone else can vote for the one they want to be the new ruler. How does that sound?”

An excited spark flashes in Yuri’s eyes. “Does that mean I could run for king, too?”

“I think you’re a bit too young to become the ruler of our kingdom, guard Plisetsky,” Minako laughs, “the position of a king requires lots of commitment and to be honest, I would be quite horrified to give all the power to a mere 15-year-old.”

Yuri pouts angrily at her, breaking the etiquette, but Minako doesn’t bother remarking it, not this time. Instead, she observes the guard’s expression change into something more focused, Minako can nearly see the wheels spinning in his head.

“But Otabek could run for king, couldn’t he? He is already 18.”

Minako glances at the older guard, she cannot really interpret his expression, cannot decide whether he is happy about the idea or not. “He can if he wants to.”

Yuri grins and turns his all his attention to his friend, words flowing more excitedly than Minako has ever heard before. “Beka, you need to do it! You’d be a great king, I’d definitely vote for you – if that’s not forbidden for me, _too_ , that is. And if you became king, I’d support you in everything you do, you’d get a body guard and a counsellor in the same package, wouldn’t that be nice?”

Minako doesn’t listen to the other guard’s reply, her gaze has travelled back to the beach, back to her beautiful godchild. He and his human emperor are kissing, she doesn’t know how long they have been at it so far. But there is one thing she knows, even from the distance she can tell Yuuri has never looked this happy before. One single tear drop rolls onto her cheek, a tiny one filled with a bittersweet feeling of a parent letting their child go.

_Hiroko, Toshiya and Mari, I hope you can see this. You don’t need to be worried about Yuuri anymore, he has finally found his place in the world._

 

 

***

The sun has painted the sky red, decorated the sight with a few strokes of gold. The latter colour reminds Yuuri of his engagement ring on his right hand and makes his cheeks shine as brightly as the sky itself.

“You were just thinking of something disgusting, weren’t you?” Yuri accuses him, having observed his expressions with sharp eyes. He and Otabek sit on their tails close to the shoreline, the spears laying on the sand on their side. Yuuri turns his eyes away from him and slips his hand into Viktor’s own, trying to gain some extra confidence from its warmth.

“You were imaging it, Yuri. Maybe your observation skills need a bit more training.”

Viktor lets out a noise that, apparently, should be some sort of a cough, and even Otabek seems to smile a little at Yuuri’s remark. Yuri, though, doesn’t seem amused by his words at all, but Yuuri knows he won’t be angry with him for the rest of his life. It’s just the age, Yuri thinks he needs to act tough to be taken seriously (which, to his irritation, actually works the other way around). Maybe in a few years or so he has calmed down a little, though Yuuri is sure his temper will never cool down completely.

“It’s a bit difficult to address this little guard, don’t you think?” Viktor says. “Your names are practically the same.”

“I never thought about it before,” Yuuri says. “I was usually referred to as ‘your highness’ or something like that, so we didn’t face the problem. And of course, Yuri always called me ‘the manatee’.”

“And I still do, manatee!”

“But two Yuris really is a bit difficult,” Viktor murmurs, in the middle of a thought, before his face suddenly lights up. “Now I know! Why don’t we call the little guard ‘Yurio’?”

“It could work, I guess.”

“No way in hell are you guys going to call me ‘Yurio’!” Yuri objects angrily. “Why the fuck should I change my name, you can call the manatee Yurio if you like that stupid name that much!”

“But you’re younger than my Yuuri, so it’s only natural he gets to keep his name,” Viktor replies lightly and steps quickly back, triumphantly dodging the splashes Yuri has sent towards him. Yuuri, on the other hand, got his blue trouser legs wet, but he doesn’t mind and turns his attention to Otabek instead.

“I heard you decided to run for the next king of Sea of Japan, Otabek. Even though I can’t vote for you, I support you with my all.” Yuuri glances quickly at Yuri’s direction, the guard hasn’t given up quarrelling with Viktor. “Also, good luck with _that_.”

Otabek bows at him, the ghost of a smile flitting across his face. “Thank you for your words, your highness.”

“Please, you don’t need to call me that,” Yuuri says, embarrassed. “I’m not a prince anymore.”

“Technically, that’s not true,” Viktor remarks, he is in the middle of pushing Yuri further into the sea, while the latter is trying to drag the man with him. “Even though you abdicated your throne in your kingdom, you’ll still be a prince because you’ll be married to me.”

“Yes, Vitya, but I don’t recall the court calling you ‘your majesty’ either.”

“Oh, so you call him _Vitya_ now, manatee,” Yuri snickers in a mocking tone, still clinging to Viktor’s ankle. “I bet he has given you some disgustingly sweet pet names in return.”

“Sure I have,” Viktor says smugly, “but I think you’re too young to hear any of them.”

Yuuri flushes hard, too embarrassed to scold his fiancé for implying something dirty in front of the guards. As he covers his face, he manages to catch a glimpse of Yuri letting go of Viktor’s ankle, his expression disgusted as if he had just touched something that spreads a fatal disease.

“Too much information, I didn’t fucking need to know that!” Yuri hisses. “It’s damn good you two are going to leave the town and I don’t need to see you ever again!”

“But we’ll come back next summer, won’t we, Vitya?” Yuuri asks before crouching and reaching out for Yuri in a mediating manner. “Besides, I’m going to miss you and Otabek.”

Yuri turns his eyes away, his cheeks burning. “Whatever. I’m not going to miss you at all.”

“Nonsense,” Otabek says calmly. “He will swim to the surface the moment he hears you have returned.”

They don’t linger when telling each other goodbye, for the departure shouldn’t be too sad. There will always be a new summer, the time reserved for sharing stories of the events they have been through and new adventures they have experienced. Yuuri entwines his fingers with Viktor when they leave the beach. The trip to St Petersburg will be long, but at least he will have some pleasant company. Phichit has been invited to visit them straight away, so that he and Viktor can discuss the possible alliance between the Kingdom of Thailand and the Russian Empire. And of course, Phichit is not the only one: both Mila and Georgi have expressed their desire to spend more time with him, waiting eagerly to hear stories about merfolk now that Yuuri can actually share them. His mouth is already dry from the thought of long-lasting discussions, he has always been the listener in friendships, never bringing himself forth on purpose. Still, Yuuri can feel how excited his voice is to finally be heard. Despite not being magical anymore, it possesses the power to gather others around him, much to his own confusion.

Makkachin lets out a bark when he notices them and sprints down the road to greet them before anyone else. Yuuri kisses his head before turning to glance behind his shoulder one last time. When admired from the soil, the sea does really look beautiful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Kudos & comments are appreciated :> Also, come say hi to me on [Tumblr!](http://sophiafrederica.tumblr.com/)


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